Real cooling on Pogba deal due to €120m price tag

Florentino Pérez has always harboured his doubts about signing Paul Pogba, despite the France international being high on Zinedine Zidane’s wish list. Firstly, because the Real president has a frosty relationship with the player’s agent, Mino Raiola, but also because the fee being demanded by Juventus of 120 million euros is viewed by Pérez and others in the Bernabéu hierarchy as simply too exorbitant.

The club did entertain the idea of spending 65 million on André Gomes but Barcelona beat Real to the signature of the Portugal international. So far it hasn’t been a good summer in the transfer market for Madrid, who so far have only added Álvaro Morata to the squad after paying 30 million euros to buy the Castilla graduate back from Juve. However, as Zidane has noted, “the transfer window stays open until August 31.”

If Real fail to land Pogba or a player of similar standing it will be the second consecutive year in which Pérez has failed to sign a big name. Last summer the club brought in Mateo Kovacic (30 million), Danilo (31.5 million), Lucas Vázquez (1.5 million), Kiko Casilla (six million) and Casemiro (7.5 million).