Should Juventus Sell Paul Pogba? Money Talks!

Given the way his every move has been tracked so far this summer, Paul Pogba could be forgiven for donning a Mario Balotelli-esque "Why always me?" shirt or locking himself away in isolation until the 2016/17 season gets underway.

The France international is the face of UEFA Euro 2016, a tournament in which Les Bleus are the host nation, heavy favourites and one of the two finalists set to do battle for the trophy on Sunday. He is expected to power their dreams of triumphing on home soil, just as compatriots Michel Platini (Euro '84) and Zinedine Zidane (1998 FIFA World Cup) did.

That both those iconic midfielders did so while playing for Juventus is no coincidence. Nor is the fact Pogba was the sole player chosen to advertise the launch of the club’s new away kit on Wednesday.

He is also the subject of the hottest—and potentially most expensive—transfer speculation, linked with a potential return to former side Manchester United. According to Sky Sport Italia (h/t Football Italia), the Old Trafford giants are preparing a bid of €120 million and a five-year contract for the 23-year-old.

Reportedly willing to pay Pogba a staggering €13 million a season—roughly treble his annual salary in Turin—such an offer would be extremely difficult for both him and Juventus to ignore despite the club repeatedly dismissing talk of an exit. Juve director general Beppe Marotta explained their stance to Italian news agency ANSA in June:

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We haven't had any actual bids for Pogba, above all because we don't want to sit down to the negotiating table. Pogba is indispensable for the present and the future: Juve is not a selling club, in order to win you have to have the strength to keep champions.

Pogba is just fine in Turin, he has grown in these years, he can still improve. At this moment in time we're not opening talks.

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But the fact remains the Bianconeri operate at a tier below the financial elite, and even the biggest clubs would struggle to turn down that incredible sum. It is a reality United themselves had to face when Real Madrid took Cristiano Ronaldo to the Santiago Bernabeu back in 2009, recognition that everyone has a price.

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The reasons the Premier League side want to re-sign Pogba are evident almost every time he steps onto the field. Simply put, he has everything a modern midfielder needs to succeed. Combining pace, power, skill, creativity and flair in abundance, he is capable of beating opponents with any or all of those attributes.

Former Old Trafford star Paul Ince told Sky Sports News HQ that the move would be "a perfect fit for him and for Man United," while Thierry Henry was even more effusive in an interview with the same outlet (h/t beIN Sports):

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Forget about France, I think he can be one of the best midfielders in history. He has the quality to do that. What I love about him at the moment is that he's doing what the team's asking him to do; maybe he's sometimes a bit more fancy at Juventus but because [Antoine] Griezmann is playing behind Giroud for France, he has to defend a bit more.

That's the sign of his intelligence. He's playing within himself in a way, to make sure the team has the right balance.

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Henry acknowledged, however, that "he's still a Juve player and they're not going to let him go easily," with Pogba’s club working hard to convince him to stay with them and enjoy the culmination of their collective efforts.

Already this summer they have added Dani Alves and Miralem Pjanic, handing depth and even greater UEFA Champions League experience to a squad hoping to become a serious contender in European football’s elite competition.

That United will begin new boss Jose Mourinho’s tenure without a place on that stage is—perhaps alongside the idea of emulating Platini by lifting that trophy while wearing the club’s iconic No. 10 shirt—Juve’s biggest hope of keeping Pogba for at least one more season.

But whether now or in 12 or 24 months’ time, he almost certainly will move on. Whenever he has spoken to the press in the past, it has been evident Pogba has firm ideas bout how he sees his career playing out.

In an interview with Sky Sport Italia back in May, the Paris native spoke of the importance of securing a second domestic double with Juventus—something no Italian team had ever done—before revealing his next objectives.

"The next step is to win the Champions League," he said (h/t Football Italia). "I still have to improve before I can aim for the Ballon d'Or."

A burning ambition to be recognised as the best player in the world will almost certainly lead Pogba to eventually walk away from Juventus Stadium in order to play on an even grander stage.

It would be nothing new for La Vecchia Signora—the grand Old Lady of Italian football has seen Zidane, Gianluca Vialli and Roberto Baggio all move on in search of a new challenge. Each time, she has invested in the future, building a new team that has almost always risen to the pinnacle of the sport.

Over the past five seasons, that has continued. Winning the league title each year, Marotta and his team have gradually improved the squad, signing players of greater quality and adding depth to the options available to coach Massimiliano Allegri.

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Working on a budget that pales in comparison to those of Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, Juve reached the Champions League final in 2015 and will undoubtedly have a plan to replace Pogba. Paulo Dybala filled the void left by Carlos Tevez's departure last summer. Sami Khedira stepped in to ensure Andrea Pirlo’s World Cup-winning experience was not missed during the most recent campaign.

The prospect of seeing them operate with such a financial windfall would be intriguing, with names of potential targets who would almost certainly lessen the blow of any potential sale already beginning to surface.

Spanish newspaper Marca reported in June that the Bianconeri told Real Madrid they would have to send Germany international Toni Kroos to Turin as part of any deal to sign Pogba, a deal that would provide an immediate replacement as well as a major cash influx.

Elsewhere, La Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t TalkSport) believes Juventus would make a move for Leicester City star N'Golo Kante—who is also a target for Arsenal and Real Madrid—should his compatriot decide to move on.

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That a deal for the 25-year-old would reportedly cost just £30 million shows the scope of what the Italian champions could do with the substantial fee they would receive for Pogba, as well as the sheer volume of players they could potentially sign.

Keeping the uber-talented Pogba is undoubtedly their first option, but if he does leave, perhaps Juventus—who run out to the sound of AC/DC hit "Thunderstruck" before every home game—should consider a different track by the Australian band.

"Tailored suits, chauffeured cars. Fine hotels and big cigars. Up for grabs, up for a price," go the words. Money talks indeed.