Football can be suspended, economies can be on the verge of collapse and the world can be engulfed in a desperate battle against a global pandemic, but Mino Raiola’s transfer market hustle will not cease.
In these uncertain times though, the Italian super agent’s familiar pot-stirring does offer an odd sense of comfort. Some things are in fact constant.
The Paul Pogba saga has taken a positive turn in recent weeks with the player reportedly working hard to return and feature in a Manchester United side going from strength to strength.
Whispers of a new deal for the Frenchman who spent much of last summer flirting with Real Madrid have circulated as well.
Naturally, Raiola felt the need to step in and rock the boat once more with his latest comments.
“I definitely want to take a great player to Real Madrid, and I will try to do so this summer,” he said.
It’s a fairly safe assumption that he’s referring to Pogba but in fairness to Raiola, Los Blancos have shown interest in a number of players he represents.
In addition to Pogba, Erling Haaland and Matthijs de Ligt have also caught Florentino Perez’s eye.
But which of them are most likely to make the switch to the Santiago Bernabeu?
PAUL POGBA
Pogba ticks all the boxes of a quintessential Madrid signing. He’s a marquee player, a household name whose flashiness and glamour is reflected in his football. He’s guaranteed to sell shirts and entertain Madridistas with his unique swagger on the pitch.
However, despite Zinedine Zidane’s fondness of his compatriot, the events of this season mean Pogba is hardly a priority for the Spanish giants.
They would likely have to shell out upwards of €150 million to prise him away from United. That’s a huge amount for someone who’s only made eight appearances so far this campaign.
Meanwhile, Fede Valverde has stepped up in a big way, forging a formidable midfield partnership with Casemiro. Elsewhere, Martin Odegaard has thrived at Real Sociedad and looks primed to finally establish himself for Los Merengues come next season.
Midfield may not be Madrid’s biggest concern right now and for Pogba, staying at United suddenly doesn’t seem all that bad.
ERLING HAALAND
Madrid have lacked a ruthless goal-scorer and Erling Haaland appears to be one of the finest of his breed. The Norwegian resisted interest from United and Madrid in January to make a practical move to Borussia Dortmund where he can hone his skills.
But following a phenomenal start with the Bundesliga outfit, the Spanish club may well test his and Dortmund’s resolve ahead of next season rather than wait another year or two.
Haaland already looks like the finished article at just 19 years of age and fits Madrid’s strategy of signing the best young talents rather than risk losing out on another Neymar.
That said, the striker seems to feel at home at Signal Iduna Park and will not want to put his progress in jeopardy by moving to an elite club too soon, he’s made that abundantly clear.
MATTHIJS DE LIGT
He may have arrived for a whopping €75m but the plan for Matthijs de Ligt at Juventus was always to be bedded in gradually, learning from the experienced duo of Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci.
An injury early in the season to Chiellini though meant De Ligt had to be tossed in at the deep end and it hasn’t been easy. He’s had a few good performances but his inconsistency even led to him being dropped for Merih Demiral for a couple of games over the winter.
The talent remains though and Madrid are known admirers of the Dutchman. With Sergio Ramos turning 34 this month, they’d love to have the 20-year-old centre-back in their squad.
However, Juventus feel the same way with Chiellini and will not want to part with his replacement.
