Barcelona presidential candidate Joan Laporta has slammed the club’s failure to sign Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba and labelled the situation ‘ridiculous’.
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Barca met with Juventus officials this week to discuss a transfer, but they saw their reported €80m bid rejected with suggestions that the two clubs had made a pact that they would renegotiate next summer.
However, the news hasn’t left Laporta impressed and he believes speculation linking the Spanish giants with other targets is just a move to mask over their embarrassing failure to sign the Frenchman.
“The meeting with Juventus executives to talk about Pogba was ridiculous, a failure,” Laporta told Cadena Ser.
“[Ariedo] Braida and [Albert] Soler made a fool of our club. I respect Juve, but anyone who wants the player must go about it in a different way.
“The key to buying Pogba is his agent, Mino Raiola, who I’m on very good terms with. Talking about [Atletico Madrid’s] Arda Turan is only a distraction from the Pogba failure.”
It remains to be seen whether or not the La Liga champions will be able to prise Pogba away from Juve next year, with Manchester City and Chelsea also linked with a move.
In fact, it is reported that City are readying a €100m offer in a bid to swoop in ahead of Barca and sign the French international.
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