Manchester United’s world-record capture for Paul Pogba moves a step closer as West Ham shell out £6m on new left-back
Manchester United’s world-record capture of Paul Pogba moved a step closer after the Juventus midfielder arrived at the club’s training ground for his medical.
United are set to complete the £89m signing of Pogba, who departed Manchester in 2012 after finding first-team opportunities hard to come by. The Old Trafford club received just £800,000 in compensation.
The prospective fee for the 23-year-old would eclipse the £85m Real Madrid paid for Tottenham forward Gareth Bale in 2013.
Former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho said after his side’s 2-1 Community Shield victory over Leicester at Wembley on Sunday that United would provide the perfect platform for Pogba to become the best player in the world.
West Ham, meanwhile, have moved to solve their defensive worries by completing the signing of left-back Arthur Masuaku from Olympiacos for £6m on a four-year deal. A new left-back had become a priority for Hammers boss Slaven Bilic after Aaron Cresswell was sidelined for up to four months with a knee injury.
The prospect of playing alongside playmaker Dimitri Payet was a major contributing factor in former France Under-19 defender Masuaku opting for West Ham. He said: “To be able to play with players like Dimitri Payet, I was thinking on the way here, it’s going to be crazy.”