Real Madrid have developed a button for signing top stars without paying a fee. After securing David Alaba last summer, Real Madrid have been linked with both Kylian Mbappe and Antonio Rudiger this summer, both of whom will be without a club after June.
The next name on that list could be Paul Pogba. That’s according to top agent Roberto de Fanti, responsible for several major deals in Italian football. In a column for Caught Offside, de Fanti opined on Pogba’s future in light of the links to Manchester City.
“Another midfielder who Pep Guardiola has been eyeing more recently has been Pogba, but I don’t think that move will happen.”
Yet de Fanti was much more enthusiastic about the idea of Pogba making a move to the Mediterranean.
“I think it would be fair to say that Pogba would prefer a move away from England – away from the spotlight and to a club where he can just focus 100 per cent on his football. I wouldn’t be surprised if Carlo Ancelotti takes him to Real Madrid.”
“Not only is Pogba a big-name player, but he is also a free agent and although I wouldn’t completely rule out a return to Juventus purely because of how open he has been in the past about enjoying life in Turin, I do just feel that Real Madrid could be his next club.”
Aside from the obvious financial advantage of signing a free agent, Pogba could be part of the effort to rebuild Madrid’s midfield ahead of the twilight phase of their current trio of stars.
Eduardo Camavinga and Fede Valverde are already on the books as part of that effort, but Pogba would represent a more creative profile to go alongside them. He may not be in his developmental years, but it’s also true that Luka Modric is 36 and Toni Kroos has shown the first hints of his powers waning this season, meaning a more immediate option might suit Real Madrid.
