Juventus will do its utmost
to keep young star France midfielder Paul Pogba in Turin but
will assess a bid if it is big enough, CEO Giuseppe Marotta said
Monday.
"We'll do all we can to keep Pogba, he's a key asset.
Before he was a promise, now he's a reality," Marotta said.
"There is no likelihood he will leave Juve now," stressed
Marotta, whose club is aiming for their fourth Serie A title in
a row.
Pogba, who has 23 France caps, has been a standout for Juve
this season and was again man of the match in the 4-0 win over
Hellas Verona Sunday that increased the Turin giants' title-race
lead over AS Roma to five points.
The tall attacking midfielder, 21, has been linked to a
move back to Manchester United, who he left in 2012, while many
of Europe's top clubs including Real Madrid and Chelsea are
reportedly interested.
Marotta hinted that a monster bid might force Juve to
reconsider.
"We know that the Italian championship is a transitional
one and so we will take into account eventual offers that may
not be compatible with our size," he said.
Juve boss Massimiliano Allegri said Sunday that Pogba, who
scored against Verona to bring his season's Serie A tally to
five, was a potential future world player of the year.
"Pogba is young, even though we treat him like a veteran,"
Allegri said.
"Ballon d'Or? I think you would need to win a Champions
League, European Championship or World Cup, but he's got the
potential to get there."
Pogba, who never started a game for Manchester United, has
scored seven goals in 24 appearances in all competitions this
season for Juventus, including three in his last three.
The youngster has been linked with a 77-million-pound move
back to United, whom he said in a recent interview he still
loves.
When asked about his reported value after the Verona match,
Pogba said: "I am worth zero euros. I am worth nothing unless I
work on the field in every single game.
"I need to do more because I want to be a champion just
like Gianluigi Buffon, Andrea Pirlo and Giorgio Chiellini.
"I want to be one of the best players in the world and to
be able to reach this level, I need to play well. I focus on
working on the pitch and giving all I've got for the squad."
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