Barcelona could make an unlikely move for Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba if he becomes a free agent next summer.
Pogba has entered the last year of his current deal at Old Trafford and has made it clear to those around him that he wants to consider all his options before making a decision on his future, with an extension at United still very much on the cards.
As far as other suitors go, Real Madrid, Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain have long been seen as the leaders of the race, but Mundo Deportivo have thrown Barcelona's hat into the ring.
President Joan Laporta is known to be an enormous fan of Pogba and would jump at the chance to sign him in a normal transfer, let alone as a free agent, so the summer of 2022 is seen as an 'opportunity' for the Catalan giants.
Barça are still keen to make the most of the free agent market - particularly as they are planning to make enormous splashes on both RB Leipzig's Dani Olmo and Borussia Dortmund's Erling Haaland - so bringing in a player of Pogba's quality without needing to pay a transfer fee is something that cannot be ignored.
That being said, there is an awareness that signing Pogba would still not be cheap. On top of his enormous wages, Pogba would expect a hefty signing-on fee and there's also the case of paying for the services of infamous agent Mino Raiola, who is known to have a close relationship with Laporta.
Raiola has been stirring the pot again recently by suggesting that Pogba could return to Juventus next summer, but there have been rumours that the agent has also been speaking to Laporta in private about the chances of getting a deal done.
Both Laporta and manager Ronald Koeman are looking for a powerful, forward-thinking midfielder to add to the squad. They failed to land Georginio Wijnaldum in the summer and then lost young prospect Ilaix Moriba to Leipzig, so the desire to sign a new midfielder is greater than ever before.
It's acknowledged that Pogba is somewhat of a long shot for Barcelona, but should he hit the free market in 2022, expect Laporta to make a move.
This article was originally published on 90min as Barcelona keen to land Paul Pogba on free transfer.
Source: www.90min.com