Barcelona deny Paul Pogba approach

Barcelona’s technical director Eric Abidal has denied having a meeting with Manchester United superstar Paul Pogba regarding a possible transfer in Los Angeles. Reports had emerged that Pogba was holding a ‘secret meeting’ with Abidal to discuss his future and a potential switch to Barcelona, but those have now been nipped in the bud.

According to reports in Mundo Deportivo, Abidal clarified that he indeed knew of Pogba’s whereabouts in LA, but did not intend on meeting him. He also announced that he if he were interested in seeking Pogba out and talking about a transfer, he would go through the club first. Pogba is currently on holiday after a successful World Cup campaign in which he played a major role in France’s ultimate triumph.

Pogba arrived at Manchester United in a then world record £89 million move from Juventus, but has failed to live up to his price tag, partly due to the fact that Jose Mourinho has employed him in a much deeper role than he would have liked.

The Frenchman was also dropped from the side a few times late last season and had reportedly grown frustrated with life under the Portuguese manager. As a result, the former Juventus midfielder was open to a move away, with Barcelona touted to be his preferred destination.

The Catalans are yet to fill the void left by Andres Iniesta’s departure and have remained quite inactive this transfer window, with Malcom, Clement Lenglet and Arthur Melo the only relatively high-profile arrivals.

If they were to swoop for Pogba, it would definitely give them the upper hand in the race for La Liga glory, especially considering Real Madrid are yet to find a replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo, who moved to Juventus earlier in the summer. However, with only a week remaining in the transfer window for Premier League sides, Manchester United will be unwilling to part with a player of such calibre considering the fact that they have little to no time to find a replacement.