Paul Pogba’s agent, Mino Raiola, hints “Juventus was not the only owner of the player’s rights”.
The midfielder joined Manchester United for a world-record €105m this summer, with Bianconeri general manager Giuseppe Marotta revealing that his agent was paid €27m.
“I can’t talk about the contract,” Raiola told the Financial Times.
Paul Pogba’s agent, Mino Raiola, hints “Juventus was not the only owner of the player’s rights”.
The midfielder joined Manchester United for a world-record €105m this summer, with Bianconeri general manager Giuseppe Marotta revealing that his agent was paid €27m.
“I can’t talk about the contract,” Raiola told the Financial Times.
“But, in a deal like Pogba’s, it’s not just the clubs who earn from it.
“So Juventus paid me? No — not in the way that you’re saying it. I have to see how I can phrase this in a way that Juventus cannot tackle me through the law.
“How can I say it? Yes: in this deal Juventus was not the only owner of the player’s rights.
“It’s not TPO [third party ownership]. Be careful with the legal definition of TPO. But let’s say that in that case there was an upside for our side. And by our side, I mean the player’s side."
Juventus also spoke to the newspaper, insisting “No third party had any ownership of the player’s rights”.
Raiola also discussed the motivation for Pogba’s departure, having joined a club that isn’t even in the Champions League this season.
“Look, Pogba could have gone to all the top clubs. But Real Madrid had just won the Champions League. He’d have been a trophy player there.
“Barcelona — their three trophies are [Lionel] Messi, Neymar and [Luis] Suarez. What you see is the final result of years of sculpting. I spent two years working on Manchester United’s deal with Paul.”
The agent also relayed details of Pogba’s initial move to Turin, having been named by Sir Alex Ferguson as one of the agents “I simply don’t like”.
The Scotsman had purportedly told Raiola that he wouldn’t negotiate without Pogba present, then the Frenchman confirmed “we’re not going to sign this contract under these conditions”.
“This is an offer that my chihuahuas — I have two chihuahuas — don’t sign,” Raiola recalls saying, with Ferguson then asking what he thought his client should be earning.
“Not that.”
The legendary manager reportedly called Raiola “a t**t”, and Pogba joined the Bianconeri as a free agent.