After finishing at the bottom of the top-6 last season, Manchester United are expected to be one of the busiest clubs in the transfer market this summer.
They are looking to sign a few star players, but will also be desperate to get rid of the deadwood in the squad. But one player who they do not want to sell any time soon is French midfielder Paul Pogba.
A transfer target for Real Madrid and Juventus, Pogba’s agent Mino Raiola is looking to take his client to a new club. But The Red Devils have now reassessed the 26-year old’s value and priced him at £180m, claim reports from Daily Star.
The over the top valuation of the former Juventus man will mean that he will have fewer suitors in the transfer market, more or less extending his stay at Old Trafford.
But Should United Sell?
A player of Pogba’s quality will be tough to replace but at the moment, the French international is not irreplaceable in the squad. Even under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Pogba was unable to bring out his best, leaving his side hanging more often than not.
With nine goals and six assists in the Premier League, Pogba was still one of the best players for the club last season, but the lack of quality around him has more to do with it than his actual returns.
Pogba is a gifted football, a natural game changer and is a player who can walk into most teams on the continent. At 26, he will be in his prime in years to come and it would make no sense for most sides to let him leave.
However, United need to spend big to improve more than one area in the squad and letting Pogba go might not be too harmful.
There may not be too many names in Europe that can replace Pogba, but selling the French ace at a premium and investing in various areas of the squad makes more sense for the English club at the moment.
The manager is still adamant that Pogba has a huge role to play in his plans next season but Manchester United have an average squad at the moment which might not be helping his case.
Pogba needs players of his quality to get the best out of him. So unless United decide to keep the Frenchman and spend big this summer, letting the World Cup winner go may not be the worst thing for the English side.
Equally important as player quality is the team spirit and cohesion. Pogba is on the leading edge of destroying that at MU. Sanches is the first helper in it. Hence, they must go for a better results in new seasons.