Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba has bought a property in Barcelona, naturally leading to speculation that the Frenchman will play in La Liga next season.
The 23-year-old has previously been linked with a £100m move to the likes of Barcelona, Chelsea, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain, but the general consensus in Turin is that he will remain with the Bianconeri.
However, his decision to purchase a house in Barcelona would have undoubtedly raised concern with Juve supporters, as well as fuel further rumours that he intends on moving to Spain in the near future.
A statement released by his estate agency Proto Group Ltd has dismissed the talk though, as they have insisted that it is merely part of Pogba’s off-the-field investment plans as opposed to being the first step towards moving to join the La Liga champions.
“The purchase of a villa in Barcelona is in no way related to footballing matters,” said the company’s director general, as reported by La Repubblica. “It is purely an estate investment.
“We wish to state this publicly because our client is a famous footballer and under great media attention in this period, so that this operation will certainly be reported by the Spanish newspapers, fuelling journalistic speculation that we do not wish to encourage.
“The same thing happened a few weeks ago with Lionel Messi, who purchased an attic in Paris through us, or Cristiano Ronaldo who bought an attic in New York.”
It’s unlikely that the statement will completely silence talk of a transfer, but it does go a long way to explaining the situation and show that Pogba has a smart head on his shoulders given that he is looking to invest his money wisely at the age of 23.
While a departure from Turin is likely at some point in his career, the signs to this point don’t seem to suggest an immediate exit.