Barcelona Transfer News: Paul Pogba Plan Drawn Up Amid Real Madrid Rumours

Barcelona will reportedly attempt to sign Paul Pogba during the summer, but the Frenchman will have to wait until the club's transfer ban concludes in January 2016 before moving to the Camp Nou.

Luis Enrique's side are expected to face stiff competition for his signature, and particularly from Real Madrid, according to Mundo Deportivo (translated by Tom Conn of Inside Spanish Football):

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Pogba is one of the most coveted players in European football and while Barcelona cannot officially register him as a player until next January, they will try to rival the continent’s top clubs for his services but may ultimately lose out to arch-rivals Real Madrid.

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Los Blancos will go all-in for the Frenchman's signature at the end of the season, as Spanish football expert Guillem Balague told B/R UK:

However, Conn's report suggests Barca will exploit a loophole in their transfer hiatus to secure "several major signings." Juventus may prefer to agree a deal and keep Pogba for an extra few months, providing Massimiliano Allegri with extended time to find a suitable replacement.

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Interestingly, Conn indicates Barcelona will attempt to sign Madrid star Isco if Pogba can't be attained.

It's likely the Spanish midfielder will be frustrated with rotation upon Pogba's arrival—especially as Carlo Ancelotti is unlikely to drop Luka Modric or James Rodriguez—despite regularly putting in excellent performances for La Liga's leaders this season.

Reports are fuelled by Pogba's previous interview with Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t Jamie Kemp of Inside Spanish Football) in which he called team-mate Fernando Llorente his "Spanish teacher."

Pogba is a powerful midfielder who would add a physical presence to any midfield. He is blessed with a well-rounded game. He is a clever distributor of the ball, confident enough to skip around opponents and capable of scoring stunning goals, as highlighted below:

Luis Enrique tried to up Barca's combativeness during the summer with the addition of Ivan Rakitic. The Croatian has grown into his role at the Camp Nou, but it's been years since the Blaugrana possessed a natural behemoth in the middle.

Yaya Toure was perhaps the last juggernaut to represent the Catalan midfield, but the rampaging, goal-scoring star we see at Manchester City was yet to break free at this point. Pogba is in this mould—netting six and assisting one in 17 Serie A appearances this campaign, per WhoScored.com—and continues to improve at the age of 21.

B/R UK's Jonathan Johnson and Ryan Bailey recently discussed whether or not Pogba could become the world's first £100 million player, and indeed, join Paris Saint-Germain:

Interest in Pogba is destined to continue building toward the summer. He's enjoying a fantastic season and is set to capture another Italian title with Juve. There's no doubt he can become the defining midfielder in a side who contend for Champions League glory, but it's doubtful whether or not such ambition can be realised in Turin.

Barcelona's alleged plan would certainly be ambitious—if not shut down by FIFA—and would amount to one of the club's best signings in recent memory.