Juventus preparing world record bid for Paul Pogba

Bengaluru, July 30: Serie A holders Juventus are all set to test the resolve of Manchester United with a world-record £200million offer for Paul Pogba, according to reports.

Having recently splashed £99m on Cristiano Ronaldo, Juventus would need to sell a number of high-profile players to finance any deal for Pogba.

As per reports, they are willing to let Chelsea targets Gonzalo Higuain and Daniele Rugani go to raise funds for a £200m opening offer, which would make Pogba the most expensive player in the world for the second time.

The Blues have been linked with the pair as new boss Maurizio Sarri plans raids in Serie A for reinforcements after joining from Napoli this summer.

Miralem Pjanic and Mattia Caldara are also reportedly available as Juventus go all out for their former star midfielder Pogba.

Pogba, who swapped Turin for Old Trafford in a then-record £89m deal in 2016, has failed to impress boss Jose Mourinho and could be handed a way out by his former employers.

The Frenchman, who helped his country become world champions with a goal in the final against Croatia, has endured a miserable time in Manchester after a public fall out with Mourinho.

On several occasions last season the Portuguese boss used youngster Scott McTominay over Pogba. And Mourinho, who highlighted Pogba's inconsistency for benching him, could not even bring himself to praise the player when he lifted the World Cup in Russia.

Instead he questioned why the player had not reproduced his France form at club level, saying: "I don't think it's about us getting the best out of him. It's about him giving the best he has to give.

"I think the World Cup is the perfect habitat for a player like him to give the best. Why? Because it's closed for a month, where he can only think about football.

"Where he's with his team on the training camp, completely isolated from the external world, where they focus just on football, where the dimensions of the game can only motivate.

"During a (club) season, you can have a big match then a smaller match, then one even smaller, then you can lose your focus, you can lose your concentration, then comes a big match again."