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The most sought after midfielder in the world, Paul Pogba, will not go to Barcelona this summer, according to former Barcelona President and current Barcelona presidential candidate Josep Maria Bartomeu.
"This year we will not sign Pogba because he is not part of our sporting plans,” Bartomeu told Marca.
The treble winning Spanish side has long been linked to the French midfielder, but Bartomeu’s latest words and the signing of Arda Turan seem to preclude that from happening.
That being said, Bartomeu will have no leverage over any business that the club does should he not get re-elected as president on July 18th.
Bartomeu’s statement also leaves the door wide open for the acquisition of Pogba in the summer of 2016, should he still be available. Juventus may have already turned down a reported €80 million bid from Barcelona, but they would be forced to sell should a high enough bid come in. A team would likely have to bid above €100 million, maybe even €115 million, in order to do so, which seems prohibitively high even with the recent spike in transfer fees.
That being said, Juvetus has been doing all it can to keep its core of players together and continue to build a better team. While the club has seen the exits of Andrea Pirlo and Carlos Tevez, they have brought in Paolo Dybala, signed class midfielder Claudio Marchisio to a new 5 year contract, and seemingly have won the loyalty of ex-Real Madrid striker Alvaro Morata. These are all signs of real ambition, and will help to keep Pogba believing that he can achieve at Juventus.
Juventus begins its preseason sessions on July 16th.
Follow Ivan on Twitter: @yetly
