In a recent chat I had with Bayern and Real Madrid legend Paul Breitner, one of us mentioned the name of Toni Kroos. Why did he leave Bayern if he was so happy and if Pep needed him? Breitner, with less hair but the same intelligence as always, was clear about it: When Madrid come calling, you can’t really turn it down. “I did the same thing, and I didn’t think twice about it,” he said. The Bernabéu train usually only stops once.

Pogba's golden opportunity

In the case of Paul Pogba – as much as Real Madrid have been working their communication strategy (going out of their way to endear themselves) and have tried other star alternatives in Robert Lewandowski – the Juventus player knows he has a golden opportunity to sign for the club.

Juventus – conscious of their inferiority in the transfer market and in the eyes of elite players – will want to get their money’s worth. We’ll have to see if the two sides can agree on numbers, but Pogba no doubt wants to become a centre-midfielder of reference at Real. The Frenchman feels he’s capable of that and more. By the way, Real Madrid Castilla could have signed him for less than a million euros, but he wasn’t considered good enough at the time. They’re considering it much differently this time.

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