Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde drops Paul Pogba signing hint - 7M sport

Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde drops Paul Pogba signing hint



Posted Sunday, August 05, 2018 by Express.co.uk

Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde drops Paul Pogba signing hint
Man Utd transfer news: Paul Pogba could move to Barcelona this summer (Image: GETTY)

BARCELONA boss Ernesto Valverde refused to rule out a move for Paul Pogba and branded him a 'great player' when questioned about a possible transfer in America.

Pogba has been linked with a stunning move to Barcelona this summer after he supposedly met with the club's new director of football Eric Abidal.

Pogba's Manchester United future has been thrown into doubt on the eve of the new Premier League season with the transfer window closing next week.

And Valverde was asked about doing a deal for the France World Cup winner ahead of Barca's match with AC Milan in Santa Clara in the International Champions Cup.

"Pogba is a great player who is on another team," he said.

"We are respectful with players who are in other clubs.

"I will not enter to evaluate in lucubrations. We respect the player and the club he is in."

And the Barca boss opened the door to more summer signings having already snapped up Clement Lenglet, Arthur, Malcom and Arturo Vidal.

"I am the coach, I do not have the key to close and open doors," he said.

"We are Barca and we are open to improve our team. We have to be prepared for everything.

"All teams are open until the last day. We are making progress in the incorporations and it would be absurd to say that the market is closed.

"I do not know exactly what can happen. Last year, when I was giving the press conference in the last game of the tour, I found out that I had a lesser player."

Pogba remains on holiday in America following the World Cup with Barcelona facing AC Milan in a pre-season friendly in the early hours of tomorrow morning.

He is yet to team up with his Manchester United colleagues as they travelled back from the States and will face Bayern Munich and Germany tomorrow.

Pogba has a tense relationship with Jose Mourinho after he was substituted and dropped on occasions last season.

Mourinho has had a frustrating transfer window and would loathe to lose a key player without having a replacement lined up.

And with the window closing for English clubs to buy players on Thursday a deal remains unlikely but United have been linked with Lazio ace Sergej Milinkovic-Savic as a potential replacement.

Reports in Spain have even claimed Pogba dreams of playing with Lionel Messi and his agent Mino Raiola is trying to broker a transfer.

While RAC1 suggest Barca will look to sell Ousmane Dembele to Arsenal to help fund a move for Pogba.



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