Man Utd could pay the price for ultimate transfer mistake over Pogba’s contract saga

Manchester United could pay for ultimate transfer mistake over Paul Pogba’s contract saga.

Five years after becoming the club’s record signing, the expectation is that Pogba’s Manchester United story will not end as happily as once thought. The £89million midfielder arrived from Juventus in 2016 in a transfer that was supposed to mark a return to the top for the club — but Pogba has often flattered to deceive.

The World Cup winner is out of contract in the summer of 2022 after stalling over a new deal, despite talks ongoing between the club and his agent Mino Raiola for several months.

The possibility of losing Pogba for nothing is growing more likely by the day, with the Frenchman able to speak to foreign clubs about a free transfer from January 1.

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There will likely be a queue of the top clubs in Europe exploring whether they should sign the 28-year-old.

But based on his recent form for Man United, that is a more complex question to answer than perhaps 12 months ago.

There may be some regrets inside Old Trafford about the way the situation has been handled, not only allowing Pogba to run down his contract, but the decision to keep him over the summer.

It was reported in France that Paris Saint-Germain were keen on bringing the roaming playmaker back to his native land in a £50m deal.

Given that Pogba was soon to be out of contract, such a sum would have been significant to consider — mainly because it would have allowed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to line up a defensive midfielder.

It is no secret that Solskjaer has been looking to add a defensive midfielder to his squad for some time, with West Ham star Declan Rice among the names on his shortlist.

Eduardo Camavinga was believed to have been lined up as a cut-price, long-term replacement as his contract was running down too. But the 18-year-old opted to join Real Madrid late in the transfer window.