Paul Pogba's name has been linked with a potential move to Real Madrid recently, but this is not the first time in which his name has been placed at the top of a Spanish team's transfer wishlist.
In fact, Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu admitted that the World Champion with France in the 2018 World Cup was one major transfer target for Los Blaugranas during two different transfer windows, but he revealed to ESPN the reasons why such a deal was never materialized.
"(The first attempt) came in the summer of 2015. Paul Pogba played for Juventus and we just told them that if they were ever interested in selling Pogba, that we would be interested. When they eventually sold the player, we realized that we were not going to be able to pay that kind of money for his services," Bartomeu stated.
The second attempt came last summer, but Manchester United execs refused to hear any offers to sign the midfielder, despite his well-documented row against Jose Mourinho.
In the interview, Bartomeu referred to Pogba as a key man in Manchester United's lineup, especially after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was appointed as their manager.
"He is helping the team in their attempt to improve, he's one of the top-rated footballers in the world this season," Bartomeu added.
Barça's president urged his team to be cautious when facing the Red Devils this weekend, mainly because they face massive opposition week in and week out in their domestic competition.
"There are six or seven Premier League teams that are very strong, and they get to face them every week. It's the most competitive league in the world behind La Liga, and we have to be prudent when we face them in the UEFA Champions League," Bartomeu concluded.
