REVEALED: Why Barcelona opted out of Paul Pogba’s race

 

Barcelona have admitted they simply couldn't compete with Manchester United 's financial power for Paul Pogba.

Juventus midfielder Pogba is on the verge of sealing a return to Old Trafford in a stunning £100m world record deal.

Chelsea, Manchester City, Barcelona and Real Madrid have all had interest in Pogba.

But one by one they have all dropped out of the race leaving the way clear for new boss Jose Mourinho and United to re-sign Pogba on a £210,000-a-week, five year deal.

Barcelona's international advisor Ariedo Braida revealed the eye-watering figures involved forced the Catalan giants to withdraw their interest.

"Clearly when you talk about figures that go over €100million, you need to reflect on them.” He said.

"It all comes down to the TV rights that brought in a lot of money and completely changed the logic of the transfer market. Clearly all players are overrated to some degree or another at this stage.”

"We know Pogba, he is a player who proved to be very strong and, for a while, Barcelona were interested, but clearly the dynamics changed and once the figures reached a certain point, we were no longer interested.

"It's hard to keep up at some stage, because you don't only have to consider the price of the transfer fee, but also the player's salary.

"Over the course of five years, that can amount to tens of millions."