Juventus admit it will be hard keeping Pogba if he wants to leave

Juventus director general Giuseppe “Beppe” Marotta has admitted it will be difficult keeping Paul Pogba if the midfielder decides he wants to leave the club.

Pogba has continually been linked with a move away from Juventus despite signing a contract extension with the Turin club in October – a deal which ties him to the Serie A side until June 2019.

In late January, the player’s agent Mino Raiola told the Italian publication Gazzetta dello Sport the talented midfielder would likely leave Juventus “this year or the next”.

Today, Beppe Marotta admitted it would be difficult for the Italian champions to retain Pogba should the France international decide he wants to leave the club.

“Pogba is still the master of his own destiny, and if he chooses to leave then it will be hard for the club to keep him,” the director general told Corriere della Sera.

“He has given no sign he wants to go away. The problem is when a player is offered a contract that can be two or three times higher than what he’s currently earning.

“We’re talking about a net 10 million euros (£7.4 million) per season.”

The player’s agent has already indicated there is interest in Pogba from a host of Europe’s top clubs. However, the representative believes there are only seven clubs who can afford his valuation of the midfielder – which he has stated is £75 million.

Last week, Pogba was ruled out of action for seven weeks after suffering a hamstring injury during Juventus’ 3-0 Champions League win over Borussia Dormund. The injury will see the France international miss the team’s Champions League quarter-final against AS Monaco, and possibly the semi-final of the competition.

Juventus, who have a 14-point lead with ten games to play as they seek a fourth straight Serie A title, will next play on April 4th when they host Empoli.