BARCELONA president Josep Maria Bartomeu has revealed the La Liga giants tried but ‘couldn’t afford’ to sign Paul Pogba from Juventus in 2016.
Instead, the Frenchman joined Manchester United for the then-world record £89million, marking the beginning of the Jose Mourinho era at Old Trafford.
Barcelona have been a long-term admirer of Pogba with rumours of his eventual move to Nou Camp regularly emerging every transfer window.
After a series of bust-ups with the sacked Mourinho, the Catalans were reportedly willing to offer the French World Cup winner an escape route in January.
And his brother Florentin once revealed that Pogba was a tiki-taka fan and, had he considered a move away from Old Trafford, Barcelona would have topped his wish-list.
The club’s president Bartomeu has now revealed that the La Liga champs were in the mix for Pogba’s signature in 2016, before he joined United.
When they [Juventus] sold the player, they told us what the offer would have to be and we couldn’t afford that amount of money at the time
Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu
But the club couldn’t compete with the Red Devils financially, and the midfielder ended up at Old Trafford.
Bartomeu told ESPN: “In the summer of 2015, Paul Pogba was playing in Turin and we simply told Juve that, if one day they decide to sell the player, we would be interested.
“When they sold the player, they told us what the offer would have to be and we couldn’t afford that amount of money at the time.
“So he went to United, and he’s making them better as a team because he’s one of the stars of the world of football right now.”
Ahead of tonight’s Champions League clash between the two sides, Bartomeu refused to comment on the rumours frequently linking Pogba with Barcelona.
However, he insisted that United – with the French midfield maestro in the squad – are catching up with Europe’s best clubs again.
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“I prefer not to talk about players from other teams because I am sure there are also players at Barca that can make other teams better.
“What I have to recognise is that United, in the last few years, have created a very good group, good players that are coming through.
“I am sure next season they will be candidates for the Premier League, and this year for the Champions League.”
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News Photo Barcelona ‘couldn’t afford’ to challenge Man Utd for Paul Pogba in 2016
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