Monday 8 April 2019 17:17, UK
Barcelona missed out on signing Paul Pogba from Juventus in 2016 due to Manchester United’s £89m bid, club president Josep Maria Bartomeu has revealed.
The Spanish giants enquired about the midfielder's availability when he was playing for the Serie A side in Turin, but were undone by a then-world-record transfer fee as Pogba returned to Old Trafford.
Pogba is expected to be pivotal to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's plans ahead of the two clubs meeting in the Champions League quarter-final, first-leg tie in Manchester on Wednesday, after he missed the incredible last-16 comeback win against Paris Saint-Germain through suspension.
"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," Bartomeu told ESPN FC.
"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."
Pogba has been linked with a move away from United during the season and described the opportunity to join Real Madrid as "dream for anyone" last month, but Solskjaer played down fears over his future.
The 26-year-old has rediscovered his best form since the Norwegian's arrival, scoring nine goals and making seven assists to help the club back into contention for a top-four finish in the Premier League.
United suffered a 2-1 league defeat against Wolves last week and are two points behind fourth-placed Arsenal in the table with six games left of their domestic campaign.
