Juventus director general Giuseppe Marotta reveals the Serie A champions will struggle to keep hold of Paul Pogba beyond this summer with other clubs able to pay the midfielder twice as much.
Pogba, 22, has helped Juventus win three successive Serie A titles since joining from Manchester United in 2012 and has been heavily linked with a move to Manchester City and Barcelona this summer.
However, while Marotta reiterated the fact Juventus want to keep one of the best young players on the planet, he also conceded that they cannot match the contract Pogba will be offered elsewhere.
“Pogba’s future? In modern football the decision of the player is paramount, like with [Carlos] Tevez [who returned to Boca Juniors this summer].” Marotta told Quotidiano Sportivo.
“It’s obvious that we would like to keep him until he stops playing, but we can’t afford to do anything crazy in terms of salaries and some clubs can guarantee twice we can.”
The Bianconeri reportedly rejected an offer in the region of €80m from Barcelona for the French midfielder’s services last month and their desire to keep hold of Pogba is understandable.
No player has scored more goals from outside the box in the last two Serie A seasons than Pogba (8) and only one player finished the 2014/15 campaign in the Serie A with a higher WhoScored rating than Pogba (7.67).
For more stats on Paul Pogba, click here to visit his WhoScored player page
I can't fathom why the biggest team in one of the biggest football countries can't afford him.
It can be interpreted as come and get him with excess bid. Maybe upwards of 100 million