Reports: Manchester City line up Paul Pogba bid

Manchester City could bid €62m (£49m) for Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba according to reports, but the Bianconeri are unlikely to accept. The English club are rumoured to have met with officials from Juventus in recent days to discuss a move for the French midfielder, who only signed a new deal with the Old Lady in October. Now the Daily Mail reports that City are ready to break the club’s transfer record with a €62m bid for the former Manchester United man. The newspaper believes that Yaya Toure will depart the Citizens in the summer, leaving the club with a gap to plug in midfield and Pogba is seen as the ideal replacement for the Ivorian.

Tweet However, reports in Italy suggest that Juventus would be very unlikely to accept any bid for one of their most prized assets. Calciomercato states that with the club having rejected several bids for the 21-year-old in the summer, they’re unlikely to sell this summer having strengthened their hand by extending the player’s contract until 2019. In addition, the Bianconeri are financially more robust this season, having secured a place in the Last 16 of the Champions League. Not only did the Old Lady fail to make the knockout stages last season, they are the sole Italian representative this term, and thus will not have to share revenue. Therefore the website believes that Juventus will reject any bid which might be forthcoming, though there could be less certainty around the future of Arturo Vidal. Calciomercato reports that members of the Juventus hierarchy believe that Vidal attained his peak in the previous two seasons, and may be willing to cash in after some under-par performances so far this term.