Paul Pogba’s Manchester United teammates are openly joking with him about his mooted transfer to Real Madrid and there is a belief within the dressing room that he is more likely to leave than stay.
The Frenchman is ready to force through a move to the Bernabeu this summer, with reports in Spain claiming he has already agreed a £10.3m-a-year salary with Real and has asked United bosses to sell him. Now a fresh report from AS says the United squad have been speaking about the rumours in the dressing room for some time, even joking around with the Frenchman.
One unnamed player is alleged to have told Pogba: "If you go to Real, don’t forget me" and "Invite me when you’re playing at the Bernabeu".
To add another later of intrigue, the player in question is also unsettled at Old Trafford, with his own future up in the air.
Ander Herrera, Juan Mata, Andreas Pereira and Antonio Valencia are all out of contract this summer, while David de Gea and Marcus Rashford have been heavily linked with potential moves to Spain.
Pogba, meanwhile, has reservations over the direction United are taking under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and is desperate to play under compatriot Zinedine Zidane at Real.
However, United have little desire to let Pogba leave and Solskjaer still counts on the Frenchman, despite a recent downturn in form.
The Red Devils would demand at least £130m if Pogba leaves – a huge profit on the record fee they paid Juventus just three years ago – while Real would be keen to include Gareth Bale in any deal to lower the cash value of the transfer.