Patrick Rees
It has been a long-long time that the French sensation Paul Pogba has been linked with a move back to Old Trafford, but some way or the other, the deal is collapsing. Earlier, this month, it was reported that United finally made an official offer for Paul Pogba and they launched an 85 million bid, but the Turin club rejected the offer by saying that they won’t be accepting anything less than 100 million, and since then, nothing has been materialized.
Now, the recent reports are now stating that Pogba himself has agreed to join the Red Devils, but the deal has been struck due to a stand-off regarding who pays his agent’s fee. It is reported that Pogba’s agent, Mino Riola, will be getting 30% amount of the transfer, but this has been a stalled because neither United nor Juventus are willing to Riola’s 20m euros brokering fee, and now, many fans have started believing that Pogba to United is becoming a myth.
With Pobga’s speculation heading nowhere, we give you three alternatives, who Manchester United buy with Pogba’s 100 million asking price:
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Davy Klaassen-
The 23-year-old Dutch international is an attacking midfielder, who is currently playing his trade at Ajax, but thanks to his versatility, the Portuguese manager Jose Mourinho could use him as a central midfielder as well. Klaassen actually has a better stats for the 2015-16 season than Pogba, and many would argue that it is because he plays in the Dutch league, where competition is comparatively less.
Anyways, the 23-year-old scored 13 goals in the league last term and bagged an impressive eight assist and goal ranking is actually better than Pogba’s. What United really needs is a goal scoring midfielder, who could complement the forwards and by considering all these factors, he could turn out to be a great signing for the manager.
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Ruben Neves-
The 19-year-old Portuguese international is one of the hottest prospects in the sport. He might cost a bit more to United, but Neves is unarguably a great player. The youngest player ever to captain a Champions League side, Neves, is known for his maturity in the game. At 19 years of age, he could play a number of positions on the field.
Buying him would end United’s long term midfield woes and I personally think that Neves could become a great successor of Paul Scholes. Since the retirement of the Englishman, Manchester United have badly missed a player, who could operate the game with ease and if not now, Neves could easily become a captain figure for the side in the coming years.
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Marcelo Brozovic-
A 23-year-old Croatian international was one of the best players for his national side in the recently concluded Euro 2016, and if the reports are to be believed, then the fellow English side Liverpool are currently chasing the player along with Arsenal. This is no secret that the team really needs a central midfielder; hence, a player like Brozovic’s stature would definitely fit the bill.
Mostly dubbed as the Croatian Xavi, the 23-year-old scored 7 goals for Inter last season and also created 49 chances for the side. He isn’t the fastest player in the league, but just like Xavi, he loves to dictate the tempo of the game with his vision and passing range. With Carrick or Scheiderlin playing as a defensive midfielder, he could form a deadly partnership with them at the Theatre of Dreams.
