Manchester United certainly made a statement of intent with their signing of Paul Pogba last month.
Jose Mourinho has been tasked with sweeping away the mediocrity instilled at the club during the Louis van Gaal and David Moyes eras, and so far, it all looks to be going to plan.
United might have thought that Pogba’s arrival reaffirmed their place as one of the biggest clubs in world football, but in fact, it could all have been very different.
It was thought that the Frenchman would opt for La Liga when he joined Juventus, though it seems that only didn’t happen because Barcelona made the decision to pull out of the deal.
Sky Sports are reporting that Barca had first refusal on the midfielder, but they decided to pursue other targets instead.
“This summer we decided that there were players that suited us better on a sporting level,” said Albert Soler, their director of sporting relations.
United fans will be disappointed to learn that that might have been a factor in why Pogba returned to Old Trafford after four years away, but it won’t take anything away from the fact that they’ve signed one of the best midfielders in the world right now.
Check out Football Advisor for profitable betting predictions
