Juventus snub Paul Pogba’s agent for proposing Barcelona move

Pogba’s agent Mino Raiola said there “is a strong possibility that Pogba will play for Barcelona" if Joan Laporta is elected as the club president.

Juventus insist Paul Pogba is not for sale. Marco Bertorello / AFP

Juventus insist that Paul Pogba is not for sale despite reports in Spain linking the highly coveted midfielder with a move to Barcelona.

Barcelona presidential candidate Joan Laporta said recently that if he is elected as new club president, the he would ensure Pogba played for the Catalan giants next year.

Pogba’s agent Mino Raiola backed Laporta’s comments and said there “is a strong possibility that Pogba will play for Barcelona if Laporta is elected”.

Juve general director Giuseppe Marotta said: “Whoever is interested in the player needs to talk to Juventus and not with Mino Raiola, who is nonetheless his (Pogba’s) agent.

“But the player is not for sale.”

Pogba, 22, is also a reported target for Chelsea, Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain this summer. The France international is under contract at the Serie A club until June 2019.

Juve turned down a reported €80 million (Dh459m) bid from Barca this month after the European champions sent a delegation, led by the club’s international sporting director Ariedo Braida, to Milan.

Marotta said: “We have negotiated with Barca in recent months. We have done so in a serious and correct manner as it should be between two teams that have a lot of history and importance in world football.

“The situation is very clear between Barca and Juventus after the meeting we had in Milan.

“Barca made an offer and we replied. In any case Barca cannot make any signings and Juve does not want to sell.”

Barca cannot field new players until January 2016 because of a transfer ban imposed by Fifa for breaching rules on the transfer of under-age ­players.

That has not stopped the treble winners from acquiring Spanish defender Aleix Vidal from Sevilla and Turkish midfielder Arda Turan from Atletico Madrid since the end of the last campaign.

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