Barcelona focused on signing Paul Pogba after ending talks with Ilkay Gundogan

Barcelona have ended negotiations with Borussia Dortmund midfielder Ilkay Gundogan and have re-focused their attention on signing Paul Pogba from Juventus.

Prior to the UEFA Champions League final, Barcelona were reportedly close to reaching an agreement for Gundogan, but negotiations fell through at the last minute.

The sticking point in the talks being the German international’s refusal to be loaned back to Dortmund until January (when Barcelona’s FIFA-imposed transfer ban is lifted); or sign with the Catalan side now, but remain inactive until the club’s transfer embargo ends.

The understanding now is that Manchester United are now the front runners to sign Gundogan next season.

With that said, Barcelona have now re-focused their attention on signing Paul Pogba from Juventus.

Pogba has already expressed a strong interest towards playing alongside Lionel Messi. The France international publicly admitted he “dreamed” of lining up next to the five-time Ballon d’Or winner, and Barcelona are now in the process of trying to secure the 22-year-old player.

Following their 3-1 victory in the Champions League final, Barcelona president Josep Bartomeu made it clear his intention was to bring the talented Frenchman to the Camp Nou next season.

“It is true that Pogba is a leading target of ours and obviously we are interested, but I can’t say anything more,” Bartomeu said. “We are forbidden to recruit players until January, so I can’t talk about it.”

Back in April, Barcelona reportedly had a £50 million offer for Pogba rejected by Juventus.

The Italian champions have publicly stated they are unwilling to sell the midfielder, who is under contract until June 2019, but also understand that it will be difficult to keep hold of Pogba with so many clubs lining up for his services.

The player’s agent, Mino Raiola, is insistent that a huge offer will force the club to sell Pogba. Raiola has re-iterated his client will end up at the club which present the highest bid.

The player’s representative has slapped a £70 million price tag on the young French midfielder.

With Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez on their roster it is unlikely Barcelona will be able to afford that kind of money. But Pogba’s desire to join the newly-crowned European champions could prove to be the determining factor during negotiations.

Barcelona have already confirmed one signing this summer after it was revealed that Sevilla winger Aleix Vidal had signed a five-year deal with the Catalan side last weekend.

The versatile player is permitted to join the club and train with his teammates but will not take part in official or non-official matches until January.