Manchester United's pursuit of Juventus and France midfielder Paul Pogba has been dealt a blow, as it has been revealed that the player would prefer moving to Real Madrid.
Manchester Evening Newsunderstands that Pogba doesn't fancy a return to Old Trafford, and would prefer remaining at his current club if a Madrid transfer can't be worked out.
His agent, Mino Raiola, thinks differently, and has advised the player to leave for United and work with Jose Mourinho for three years before going to Madrid. But the 23-year-old would rather join Los Blancos this summer, and not in 2019 when he would be 26.
There's still hope for United, though, as theFrenchman has not completely rejected them. Madrid's interest has reportedly cooled, with both Marca and AS claiming that the Spanish giants are looking into his France teammate N'Golo Kante, as Florentino Perez has never beenPogba's biggest fan.
Jorge Mendes, Jose Mourinho's agent, has been appointed by Unitedto negotiate for Pogba by meeting with Raiola. It is believed that discussions so far have been fruitful, and that the Manchester club are as close as they have ever been to signing the sought-after midfield enforcer whom they allowed to leave for free four years ago.
Two of Raiola's clients - Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Henrikh Mkhitaryan - are expected to join Mourinho at Old Trafford very soon.
The Portuguese manager is said to be keen on making four new signings this summer. He has already captured a defender inEric Bailly, and with Ibrahimovic and Mkhitaryan soon to sign, Pogba is seen as the last piece of the puzzle.