Manchester United are hoping to complete the signings of both Paul Pogba from Juventus and Blaise Matuidi from Paris Saint-Germain, sources have said.
United’s interest in Matuidi had initially been seen as a back-up to Pogba, if they could not persuade Juve to sell their star midfielder, but Jose Mourinho’s wish to revitalise the midfield could see both arrive this summer.
Sources have said that the club must still convince Pogba to join them, despite intermediaries agreeing basic terms with both Juventus and the player’s agent.
Mourinho has identified the 23-year-old as his primary target and United are confident of completing a deal after agreeing terms with his representatives, but Pogba himself has not yet definitively agreed to move back to Old Trafford.
While some reports in France state have indicated that he is open to returning to the club he left on a free transfer in 2012, sources have said that Pogba’s main preference is still to go to Real Madrid or Barcelona.
United officials won’t get the chance to sit down and discuss the move with Pogba until next week at the earliest, as the midfielder will play in the final of Euro 2016 against Portugal on Sunday.
And, although his France teammate Matuidi is in the same situation and has also played down reports of a summer move, United are seemingly keen to add both superstars to their midfield this summer if they can.
Real Madrid have given no indication that they are prepared to pay the required £100 million fee for Pogba, while Barcelona are no longer interested in him after seeing an €80m offer rejected last summer.
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