Manchester United have left Paul Pogba on the bench against Atletico Madrid on his birthday, a decision Massimo Mauro and Gianluca Di Marzio maintain will ‘make him even more eager for a return to Juventus.’
He is dropped for tonight’s Champions League Round of 16 trip to Madrid in favour of Scott McTominay.
“Being as annoyed as he is tonight could be the decisive factor in seeing Pogba want a change of scenery,” pundit Mauro told Mediaset.
“He’d be very welcome in Turin.”
The midfielder will be a free agent when his contract expires on June 30 and he is widely expected to walk away from Old Trafford for a new experience.
While Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid are also contenders, a comeback to Juventus is very much on the cards.
“Pogba certainly didn’t expect to get dropped on his birthday. What I can say is that United have an offer ready to renew Pogba’s contract and will have a meeting with his representatives over the next few weeks,” said Sky Sport Italia pundit Gianluca Di Marzio.
“I find it improbable that Pogba would want to continue here, especially if Ralf Rangnick remains as coach.
“Pogba left his heart in Turin, but he’d have to leave half his salary too, because he currently earns €14m per season net, while the new policy at Juventus is €8m max.
“So if he wanted to come back to Juventus, he’d have to take a big pay cut.”
Speaking on the same programme, Fabio Capello assured Juventus should not bring back Pogba because reducing the wage bill is the right direction to take.
Pogba joined Juve as a free agent from Manchester United in 2012, then moved back to Old Trafford for €105m plus bonuses in 2016.