REAL MADRID have told Zinedine Zidane to forget about signing Paul Pogba, reports claim.
Bernabeu bosses – chiefly Florentino Perez – have told Zidane that bringing in the Manchester United midfielder would stifle the development of Federico Valverde.
Zidane is at war with Real bosses because they have told him to forget about signing Pogba
Zidane remains desperate to sign Pogba, say Spanish site AS.
But that desire is not shared by the club hierarchy, who instead see 21-year-old Uruguay midfielder Valverde as the “future of the club”.
It is claimed central midfielder Valverde has been tipped for big things inside the Bernabeu since 2015.
And none other than Diego Forlan has predicted the same thing for the national side.
Valverde has netted twice in 14 La Liga appearances for Los Blancos this season, who currently sit second in the table behind Barcelona.
Chiefs rate his progression so highly that they see no need to splash around £85million on the World Cup-winning Frenchman.
But that has left them at odds with Zidane, who is said to have a “real soft spot” for the former Juventus man.
Pogba – who was not part of Man Utd’s squad for the 2-0 win over Burnley – is reportedly “exactly the kind of player he most appreciates”.
So much so, that Zidane vetoed moves for Christian Eriksen and Donny van de Beek in favour of going all out for Pogba.
Valverde is being tipped as the future of Real MadridCredit: EPA
Real reckon United would want around £130m for Pogba.
By contrast, they spent £5m on Valverde in July 2018 and have seen his worth skyrocket to around £45m now.
Real are reportedly “not contemplating” paying a huge fee for a signing they feel “isn’t a priority”.
Paul Pogba out of the Man United squad as fans question Frenchman’s absence after recent return to action
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
