The Special One may need to give up more than just some pocket change to bring Paul Pogba to Manchester United. Luckily for him, the player he may need to give up to bring the Juventus star to Old Trafford might be the very player he plans on getting rid of anyway.
According to the Metro via ESPN, Man United are hopeful that they can make a swap deal with Juventus with star midfielder Juan Mata going to the Serie A champs in exchange for the £65 million-rated Pogba.
Many suspect that Mata would be among the first players axed by new manager Jose Mourinho after the former Chelsea boss kicked him out of Stamford Bridge several years ago.
Pogba won his fourth straight Serie A title with Juventus this past season and led the Italian league in assists with 12. Last year he was a key figure in the club’s Champions League Final runner-up campaign.
The French midfielder has been targeted by many top clubs but is believed to need a near record-breaking transfer fee to acquire.
A straight up Mata-Pogba swap sounds nigh impossible, but if Man United are willing to pay a large chunk of the £65 million while shipping Mata to Juventus, that could be enough to make the Serie A giants bite.
Follow Jonathan Machlin on Twitter @jtmlovessports
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