Details of Pep Guardiola’s secret meeting with Paul Pogba to discuss the Manchester City transfer emerge
According to a fresh report, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola met with Manchester United’s departing midfielder Paul Pogba in person to negotiate a summer switch to the Etihad Stadium.
Following the successful pursuits of River Plate attacker Julian Alvarez and Borussia Dortmund superstar Erling Haaland, Manchester City officials have quickly shifted their attention to other parts of the team in need of a summer refresh.
One such position is central midfield, especially considering the impending departure of Brazilian veteran Fernandinho after a nine-year stay with Manchester City.
While Leeds United’s Kalvin Phillips is now believed to be Manchester City’s major transfer target in the position, Manchester United’s Paul Pogba has been mentioned in recent weeks, with a meeting apparently taking place between Pep Guardiola and the Frenchman to explore a possible move.
According to The Athletic, Pep Guardiola personally spoke with Paul Pogba to negotiate a move to Manchester City, with the Catalan coach outlining to the World Cup winner why he wants him to join his team this summer.
According to Laurie Whitwell’s report for The Athletic, Manchester City’s sporting director Txiki Begiristain presented Paul Pogba with a’significant contract offer’ that would have made him one of the club’s highest earners – albeit not as high as the deals agreed to by Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland.
In the end, this is one transfer that will not take place.
While Paul Pogba considered Manchester City’s offer, the player was unsurprisingly aware of the media frenzy that would be triggered by crossing the Manchester divide, and more importantly, according to Laurie Whitwell, the player felt a change of scenery was required after his home was burgled in March.
While Manchester City’s inability to sign Paul Pogba will give one of Europe’s top a free run at the player, the club will be more intent than ever on acquiring their key midfield targets, specifically Kalvin Phillips.
The Leeds United midfielder is thought to prefer a move to the Etihad Stadium over a move to Manchester United at the moment, and City officials would have to make an initial financial investment of more than £40 million to land the Englishman.
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Details of Pep Guardiola’s secret meeting with Paul Pogba to discuss the Manchester City transfer emerge
