Italian giants Juventus have rejected a €80m (£56.8m) bid from Barcelona for midfielder Paul Pogba, according to the club’s director general Giuseppe Marotta.
Barcelona are reportedly frontrunners to sign the France international but have fallen at the first hurdle, despite reports from Spain claiming the two clubs had reached an agreement not to sell the player until next summer – when Barcelona’s transfer ban is lifted.
“Yes, we received an offer of €80m,” Marotta told Gazzetta dello Sport. “But I can confirm that we will not sell Pogba.”
The 22-year-old is one of the most sought players on the planet and for good reason. No player in Serie A scored more goals from outside of the box than Pogba last season (5).
Furthermore, only two players won possession in the final third more than Pogba last season (27) and only four players to have made more than 20 appearances - all of whom play further up the field - completed more dribbles per game than Frenchman (2.9).
