According to the latest reports, Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba has claimed that he wants a massive £500,000 a week if he has to extend his contract with the Red Devils. There is plenty of interest from La Liga side Real Madrid, who are also looking to sign the World Cup-winning midfielder but Pogba’s demands at Old Trafford are quite unreal.
Manchester United was in quite an apprehensive state when Jose Mourinho was in charge of the club earlier in the season. The Portuguese manager instilled a very defensive philosophy into the club and this did not go down well with the United faithful. The football was dire and lacking conviction under the ‘Special One’ and with no results to back up those poor performances as well, the writing was on the wall for Jose Mourinho. A 3-1 humiliation at the hands of fierce rivals Liverpool was the final nail in the coffin for the 56-year-old and Mourinho was fired just a few days later.
United then turned to a familiar face in the form of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to handle the sinking ship at least until the end of the season but the Norwegian has exceeded expectations in his initial days at the club. Solskjaer guided United to the Champions League quarterfinals after a dramatic win over Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint Germain earlier last month in the Round of 16 of the tournament. United are also in contention of finishing inside the top 4 after a string of positive results and attacking brand of football. In fact, last week it was confirmed that the 46 year old will be the permanent manager of Manchester United and he has a task on his hands if he wants to win silverware with the English side in the near future.
One player who has transformed and taken his game to the next level since Solskjaer’s appointment has been French midfielder Paul Pogba. The 26-year-old has been a revelation over the last few months and has become the catalyst for United’s progress. But all these impressive outings have also attracted interest from several other suitors including La Liga giants Real Madrid. As a matter of fact, Pogba himself stated that it would be his dream to play at the Santiago Bernabeu fueling speculation of a move to the Spanish capital in the summer transfer window.
Pogba is keen on uniting with legendary Frenchman Zinedine Zidane, who was reappointed as manager of the Los Blancos a few weeks ago. However, there is no doubt that United also want to keep hold of their prized asset at the Theatre Of Dreams. Pogba currently earns £300,000 a week and has two years remaining on his United contract but the Premier League side want to extend his stay at Old Trafford for another season. Amid the interest from Real Madrid, Pogba now wants to take advantage of the situation and demand a massive pay hike which will see him earn £500,000 a week.
Certainly, Pogba is demanding an astronomical figure to play football at Manchester United but how important is his presence to the Red Devils? Only time will tell.
