The midfielder looks set to leave Old Trafford after his agent, Mino Raiola, revealed he is unhappy at Manchester United
Juventus director Fabio Paratici weighed in on the just-beginning Paul Pogba transfer saga, admitting "we love him very much" in the aftermath of Mino Raiola's bombshell claims on Monday.
Raiola, the French midfielder's agent, revealed on Monday that his client wants to leave Old Trafford, saying: "It’s over for Paul Pogba at Manchester United."
The famous agent went on to add that Pogba is "unhappy" with his current club because he is "no longer able to express himself in the way that he would like and as he is expected to."
Pogba has flirted with the idea of heading to Real Madrid several times, having previously admitted his interest in the club, but Raiola personally floated the idea of a return to Juventus for his longtime client.
The midfielder previously played for Juventus from 2012-16, emerging as one of the world's most in-demand midfielders before heading to Manchester United in 2016 for what was then a world-record transfer fee of £89 million ($119m).
Following Raiola's revelation, Paratici admitted that the club still has admiration for its former player, but he wasn't ready to commit to any pursuit just yet.
“That is not the right question, I think it’d be rather costly," he told Sport Mediaset. "We love him very much, we know he is a great player, but right now he is at Manchester United.”
Pogba started Tuesday's clash with RB Leipzig on the bench, which Ole Gunnar Solskjaer insisted was a tactical decision and not a response to Raiola's revelations.
However, the midfielder came on in the second half, scoring Manchester United's second goal in the eventual 3-2 loss that sent the club to the Europa League.
After the game, Solskajer was unwilling to discuss the Pogba situation, insisting that Pogba must speak for himself.
“As soon as Pogba's agent realises it is a team sport the better," he said. "I don’t want to spend energy on that.
"You have to ask Paul if he is happy or not, I’m not going to speak for him. Paul is focused on doing his best for the team.”
Manchester United are set to face Manchester City this weekend in a crucial Premier League clash while Juventus, who topped Barcelona 3-0 on Tuesday, will take on Torino.