Barcelona Transfer News: Paul Pogba Bid a Ridiculous Failure, Says Joan Laporta

Barcelona presidential candidate Joan Laporta has called the club's attempts to sign Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba a "failure."

The former Blaugrana chief commented on the current management's decision to fly to Turin and offer €80 million for the ex-Manchester United player. He spoke to Cadena SER (h/t Goal.com):

"(Sporting director Ariedo) Braida's meeting with Juventus and (director of sporting institutional relations Albert) Soler was a failure, it was ridiculous and made Barcelona look bad. Soler acts in ignorance of the world of football," said Laporta.

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Juve chief Giuseppe Marotta revealed to Gazetta dello Sport that Barca's attempts to secure Pogba were rejected, per Football Italia. This came despite an initial report from Spanish publication Sport (h/t B/R UK) that a transfer was agreed to take place in the summer of 2016.

Laporta is a huge admirer of Pogba and has admitted he will use his ties with Mino Raiola, the player's representative, to help push a deal along if he's elected. "We know the agent of the player—that is key in this operation. We will have to negotiate with the agent and Juve," said Laporta, as reported by Saj Chowdhury of BBC Sport.

Current Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu, who is standing for re-election, previously suggested landing Pogba is "one of our objectives," reported Telefoot (h/t Football Italia). While Bartomeu and Laporta appear to be working to the same end, the latter is more than happy to use the club's current inability to agree Pogba's transfer to his advantage.

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His comments may be aimed to gain support. Laporta vowed to land David Beckham when he took over the position in 2003, before the Englishman moved to rivals Real Madrid. Laporta followed this failure by playing a major role in securing Ronaldinho, a player who would go on to define Barca's pre-Lionel Messi era.

Pogba is a physical, technically-gifted midfielder who could play the powerhouse role for Barcelona. He competed avidly during Juve's recent Champions League final loss to the Catalan side, but he became isolated against Luis Enrique's midfield three of Andres Iniesta, Sergio Busquets and Ivan Rakitic.

B/R UK's Ryan Bailey and Graham Ruthven recently looked at how unstoppable Barca would become with Pogba in the side:

Interest in the player isn't going to subside until his next club is secured. Manchester City are happy to offer €100 million, according to Il Corriere dello Sport (h/t Football Italia). It's rare such an established 22-year-old with years of development ahead of him is up for grabs, so we can expect interest to swell.

Laporta knows what he's doing and is picking his words carefully. Pogba would be a statement signing for any club and has the capacity to offer his next suitors a decade of world-class quality. He is being used as a pawn in Barca's presidential game, a sign of his potential.

It's worth noting Pogba only signed a new contract in October and is currently scheduled to remain in Turin until 2019. Juventus snapped him up for a free on this day in 2012 and will have plenty of opportunities to sell him for a huge sum. Only Marotta and head coach Massimiliano Allegri know when the time is right.