The 23-year-old France global had always been the favorite of Mourinho since his days as Chelsea head coach and this time, the Portuguese mentor is said to be “so optimistic” he will finally snag Pogba that “he is already acting as if he’s got his man”, the Daily Star reported.
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Should Pogba decide against returning to England’s north-west, United will move for his French global teammate Blaise Matuidi.
John Hartson wants Arsenal to make a move for Manchester United target Paul Pogba in the summer transfer window. Eric Bailly, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Zlatan Ibrahimovic have all arrived at Old Trafford this summer.
The club has spent almost £60m on new acquisitions with 22-year-old centre-back Eric Bailly also joining from Villarreal for £30m.
The deal is expected to be finalised before the end of July, with the player hinting at a return to the club he has described as his “first family”.
Pogba was a key player as France reached the final of Euro 2016 earlier this month, although they were beaten 1-0 by Portugal.
“I am calm about the English rumours”, he told Gazetta dello Sport.
“Saying that we need another two or three players is unfair, especially as I don’t want to talk about transfers, but the club is working well and knows we need alternatives”. “He could be the start of a new generation of football at Manchester United, given that opportunity”, he explained.
The midfielder was thought to have been thrashing out the details of the move with his agent Mino Raiola over the weekend.
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Mourinho was initially pessimistic about United’s chances of signing Pogba amid intense competition, but the club’s discussions with Raiola have been positive.
