Manchester City Prepare World Record bid For Pogba

Manuel Pellegrini is desperate to revamp his ageing squad with the France international top of City's wish-list
Manchester City are primed to make a world-record bid for Paul Pogba. Goal understands.City face intense competition for the Juventus midfielder's services - most notably from Paris Saint-Germain - but believe a bid in excess of the €120 million Real Madrid paid for Gareth Bale in 2013 will blow their rivals out of the water and convince the player, who will be offered a basic salary of €346,000 a week, of the club's ambitions.
A possible relaxation of the Financial Fair Play rules has given them further encouragement, although it remains to be seen exactly what Uefa's executive committee will propose when they meet in Prague at the end of the month.
Assuming their plans are not scuppered by European football's governing body, City are set to embark on an unprecedented summer of spending in order to revamp a squad that surrendered domestic dominance to Chelsea last season and again failed to progress to the latter stages of the Champions League.

Chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak, in a message to the club's supporters via their official website, reiterated his desire to bolster Manuel Pellegrini's squad with "high-quality players" and Goal understands the club's hierarchy view Pogba as the potential jewel in their crown.
Pogba, himself, is understood not to be keen on a return to his native France with PSG and would prefer a move to Barcelona and initial talks between Juventus and the newly-crowned European champions were held last month.

A transfer to Luis Enrique's side, however, would be complicated by the transfer ban which would prevent Pogba from playing for Barcelona until January 2016, although, like Aleix Vidal, he is able to sign this summer.
Juventus, meanwhile, are keen to delay Pogba's now almost inevitable departure until after Euro 2016 in the hope a series of stellar performances in that tournament would boost his market value still further.

The Serie A champions have, however, already started making plans for life after Pogba by adding Sami Khedira, who arrived on a free from Real Madrid, to their squad.