Barcelona chief break silence on buying Pogba, Messi’s exit

Barcelona chief, Josep Maria Bartomeu, has refused to rule out a move for Paul Pogba.

The Manchester United midfielder has been linked with Barca, with his Old Trafford future up in the air following his latest spat with manager Jose Mourinho.

The LaLiga champions are interested in Pogba, but are not prepared to go above £100m, with United looking for close to double that.

Asked about a potential January bid, Bartomeu told the Times: “I read these rumours – not just Pogba but a lot of players. Most of the teams don’t want to sell their players. They want to grow.

“When you hear from agents that a certain player is on the market – and I am not saying that about this player, but generally – I will sometimes call the CEO and say ‘Is it true you want to sell this player?’. Usually they say ‘No way, not for sale’ and that’s the end of it.”

Bartomeu went on to suggest Lionel Messi will extend his contract at the Nou Camp and see out his career with Barca.

“He doesn’t want to leave. We always tell him he can be a one-club man. That is his project too.”