Manchester United Transfer News: Paul Pogba Saga Continues, John Stones Rumours

The transfer saga involving Juventus star Paul Pogba, Manchester United and Real Madrid continued on Wednesday, with several new reports and rumours emerging, while Everton defender John Stones is once again being linked with a move to Old Trafford as well.

L'Equipe (h/t Colin Harvey of the Daily Star) nearly broke social media with a report saying United and Juventus had agreed on a £105 million fee, leaving only minor details to be ironed out before the France international completed his move back to Manchester.

As shared by Sport Witness, Twitter chose that exact moment to act up, although it may have been just a coincidence:

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Looks like Paul Pogba killed UK Twitter for ten minutes. pic.twitter.com/MvEVKxfoQN

— Sport Witness (@Sport_Witness) July 20, 2016"

Several other outlets picked up the news, but none of them confirmed L'Equipe's original report. Italian newspapers and pundits maintained negotiations were still ongoing, and Sky Sports' Fabrizio Romana even suggested Real Madrid may be back in play:

Per Sky Sport Italia and Mediaset Premium (h/t Football Italia), Los Blancos have reportedly told Juventus they would match any offer made by United, who have yet to offer the Turin club what they want.

To top it all off, Juventus chief executive Beppe Marotta spoke to Sportitalia (h/t Football Italia) late in the evening, saying there hasn't been any contact with the Red Devils about Pogba to begin with.

The saga is starting to take on ridiculous proportions, particularly given the fact the player isn't even in Turin or Manchester―he's still on vacation in the United States, where he's been showing off his skills on the basketball court against Everton's Romelu Lukaku, per Bleacher Report UK:

The stream of speculation has been constant of late, with most pundits now assuming Pogba has his mind set on a transfer. He's yet to confirm that news, however, and likely won't do so before he returns from holiday.

His agent, Mino Raiola, has so far done little to silence the mountain of speculation, although he did come out on Tuesday to make it clear to the fans they shouldn't believe everything they read, per Bleacher Report UK:

This saga should become a lot clearer once Pogba returns from holiday, and as of right now, a transfer to Old Trafford still seems the most likely outcome. The race to land the France international seems far from over, however, and suggestions the deal is done appear premature.

Stones is another player seemingly in the news every day, and the Times (h/t Metro's Mark Brus) reports United manager Jose Mourinho hopes to move ahead of rivals Manchester City in the race to land the talented defender.

Tim Ireland/Associated Press

According to the report, Mourinho is concerned summer signing Eric Bailly may not be ready to compete at the top of the Premier League, despite spending £30 million to sign him from Villarreal.

Mourinho tried to sign Stones last year while in charge of Chelsea, and he's reportedly once again interested in the England international.

The 22-year-old has long been linked with a move to City, and per the Daily Mail's Dominic King, the Toffees want to resolve this particular saga in a hurry:

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The uncertainty of when City will make their move, though, is not something with which Koeman is satisfied and he has met with Stones’ advisers to tell them his feelings.

Everton, Koeman and the player do not want to endure another summer of intense speculation and the onus is now on City - whose new manager Pep Guardiola is a firm admirer of Stones - to make their move.

One thing that is clear, however, is the fact Everton will not sell Stones on the cheap and City will remember the hardline stance Everton took in 2009 when they wanted to sign Joleon Lescott.

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If City don't move swiftly, it could open the door for an unexpected move to the other side of Manchester, but it doesn't seem likely. Mourinho has already spent top dollar to bring Bailly into the fold―it's hard to see him not at least trying the Ivorian as a starter.

Bailly and Chris Smalling will likely start the season as the Red Devils' central duo, with the likes of Phil Jones providing further depth.