Paul Pogba to Barcelona: Man Utd alter transfer stance as Jose Mourinho eyes replacement

Pogba has experienced mixed fortunes since returning to Old Trafford in 2016 but is widely accepted to have failed to justify his £89m price tag.

The France international has laboured at times this season and was powerless to prevent back-to-back defeats to Brighton and Tottenham.

Paul Pogba’s inconsistency on the pitch has come amid speculation of a rift between himself and United boss Mourinho.

And he poured fuel on the transfer rumours fire on Thursday by hinting he could look to leave Manchester once again.

“My future is currently in Manchester, I still have a contract, I’m playing there at the moment, but who knows what will happen in the next few months,” Pogba said.

United have deemed Pogba priceless since re-signing him due to his obvious talent and considerable commercial value.

And that resolve was tested over the summer as Barcelona lined up the 25-year-old as one of their principal targets.

However, The Independent indicate United’s stance has altered with their position on Pogba being unsellable “already loosening”.

Pogba is said to be eager to call time on his United career a second time in order to head to Spain with Barcelona.

And United might “seriously consider” an offer around the £200m mark if he was to make his desires clear to them.

That would also involve Barcelona abandoning their usual policy of courting players in the media by getting straight to business.

Mourinho would apparently not be opposed to the idea of selling Pogba, on whom he splashed out a then-world-record fee.

And the Portuguese is thought to have lined up a direct replacement for him in the form of Sergej Milinkovic-Savic.

Milinkovic-Savic has forged a reputation as one of Serie A’s top midfield talents over the past couple of years.

And it would take a sizeable portion of the fee United would secure for Pogba in order to prise him away from Lazio.

The Italian press claim Mourinho’s agent, Jorge Mendes, is close to Milinkovic-Savic and he could broker a deal for United.

Pogba’s representative, Mino Raiola, would likewise be in charge of moving his client out of Manchester United again.

Raiola pocketed a large chunk of the £89m which United handed over to Juventus two years ago.

And he faced accusations of trying to drive a wedge between himself and Pogba and supporters when he took aim at United legend Paul Scholes last month.

“Some people need to talk for fear of being forgotten,” Raiola wrote on Twitter, tagging Pogba in his posts. “Paul Scholes wouldn’t recognise a leader if he was in front of Sir Winston Churchill.

“Paul Scholes should become sports director and advise Woodward to sell Pogba. Would be sleepless nights to find Pogba a new club.”

Express Sport understands Pogba is interested in returning to Juventus, where he would play alongside United legend Cristiano Ronaldo.

Pogba and Mourinho held clear-the-air talks prior to the international break which resulted in the Frenchman committing his immediate future to United.

But the issue will be addressed next summer, with Barcelona’s Luis Suarez, Gerard Pique and vice-president Jordi Mestre having discussed him in the press.

Meanwhile, former Arsenal and England striker Ian Wright has questioned Pogba after he hinted he was unhappy with life under Mourinho for the second time in a matter of weeks.

“I can’t understand how Man Utd fans can think ‘here we go again’!” Wright said.

“How can you actually not talk about what he’s saying? It’s so veiled what he’s saying.

“There are cryptic clues in that and he’s not talking about Mourinho in a positive way. Why does he have to do it?

“He could shut it down and say: ‘I want Man Utd to do well and we had a good result the other day’.

“He’s stoked it again. United fans don’t want to hear it because they think it’s embarrassing player and manager being at loggerheads.”