Former Juventus scout “would bet a pizza” on Paul Pogba returning to Turin

Paul Pogba

The France international was heavily linked with a departure from Old Trafford throughout the summer, with Zinedine Zidane’s Real Madrid showing interest in signing him.

There was also speculation that Juve could make a push to bring Pogba back to Turin for a second spell, following his £89 million move to Manchester United in 2016.

And the Bianconeri’s former chief scout Javier Ribalta believes that the 26-year-old is bound to leave Old Trafford if they continue to struggle.

“Without Champions [League], Paul is destined to leave Manchester United,” he told Tuttosport (via Goal).

Juve have also been linked with ambitious moves for Kylian Mbappe, Joao Felix and Erling Braut Haaland, but Ribalta believes Pogba remains the most likely to make the move to northern Italy.

“None of the four looks simple to me, but I would bet a pizza with a friend on Pogba’s return,” he said.

Pogba has made five appearances in the Premier League for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side this season, but has been ruled out for the last month through injury.

The Red Devils have suffered a difficult start to the season and currently lie in 10th place in the table with 13 points, 10 points outside the Champions League places.

Solskjaer’s side have enjoyed a mini-revival recently with four wins in their last five games in all competitions, although they fell to a 1-0 defeat at Bournemouth last weekend.

United host Brighton in their next league game at Old Trafford on Sunday.

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Alasdair Mackenzie is a freelance journalist based in Rome, and a FourFourTwo contributor since 2015. When not pulling on the FFT shirt, he can be found at Reuters, The Times and the i. An Italophile since growing up on a diet of Football Italia on Channel 4, he now counts himself among thousands of fans sharing a passion for Ross County and Lazio.