Paul Pogba is demanding as much as £500,000-a-week to extend his Manchester United contract, the Frenchman’s current deal set to expire next summer.
Amid continued uncertainty over his future, the 28-year-old has enjoyed an excellent season thus far, his latest display in the 3-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur illustrating just why he is so highly rated by both United and club’s around Europe.
While he’s had spells out with injury once again this term, he’s been a much more consistent presence in the side and has arguably produced his best performances in a Manchester United shirt under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, despite having been linked with an exit over the last 18 months or so.
Pogba’s agent Mino Raiola declared back in December that his client’s future lies away from Old Trafford, yet since then the World Cup winner has been a key member of Solskjaer’s side and shown no signs of a player desperate to depart, recently praising the Norwegian’s man-management while taking a dig at Jose Mourinho.
With just a year remaining in his current deal, he could well leave the club for free next year, yet there have been suggestions that a new contract extension isn’t out of the question, although the Daily Star reporting that the player is demanding a £500,000-a-week wage to stay in Manchester.
Those demands – which would be the highest in the Red Devils history – are also being issued to any of Europe’s elite who wish to make a move for him, be that this summer or next, with the likes of Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus all having been rumoured as potential destinations.
However, due to the current economic situation at both Madrid and Juve – and with PSG set to focus on tying Kylian Mbappe and Neymar to new deals – a move to take Pogba from United this summer would appear unlikely, the player’s wage demands and hefty transfer fee likely to make any switch near-on impossible.
While he could run down his current deal – as he did back in 2012 – United’s progression in recent seasons could well convince the midfielder to commit his future at the club.
The club have been linked with moves for new midfield options, including Wolves’ Ruben Neves and West Ham and England’s Declan Rice, even if Pogba decides to stay this summer, a better defensive midfielder potentially freeing up the Frenchman’s creative talents.
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