Manchester United are set to ditch France international Paul Pogba to fund a summer spending spree claims the Sunday Mirror.
The 24-year-old midfielder fell from grace with manager Jose Mourinho and is set to be sacrificed when the transfer window opens as the Portuguese looks to bring in a wave of new players to transform his squad.
Pogba has been criticised in recent weeks for becoming distracted. His social media feed is regularly filled with photos of haircuts, along with purchases of high-end fashion and jewellery. At the same time, his performances on the pitch continue to dip, leading senior figures at Old Trafford to question whether the time is right to sell the player.
Real Madrid, for so long in pole position to sign Pogba when he left Juventus, are still keen on acquiring the player. Florentino Perez remains an ardent admirer of the player and is still smarting at missing out on his signature.
Mourinho is keen to strengthen two areas of his squad: defence and midfield. Topping his list at the back is Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane, 24, whom he knows from his time in charge at the Bernabeu.
At the same time, Matteo Darmian will make way for Alex Sandro, Juventus’ 26-year-old full-back. United hope the Italians will be open to a player + cash deal for the Brazilian who is a long-time Chelsea target.
In midfield, Toni Kroos, 28, and Marco Veratti, 26, are the midfield targets with Kroos another whom United are hoping will be available as a player swap.
Real reportedly value him at £100m, marginally higher than the fee of £89m United paid for Pogba. Whether the France international is valued that highly now remains to be seen.
