Report: Barcelona Move for Manchester United's Paul Pogba 'In Serious Doubt'

Barcelona's wage bill could force the Spanish champions to abort a potential transfer for Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba.

According to the Telegraph (h/t Jack Staplehurst of the Daily Star), the Blaugrana might not be able to afford the deal, with the fee beyond the club's current financial capacity.

Pogba has suffered a frustrating two-year spell back at United after his move from Juventus, but France's victory at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia has placed the midfielder centre stage once more.

Barca significantly strengthened as they won La Liga last term, adding expensive signings Ousmane Dembele and Philippe Coutinho.

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Per the Telegraph, the Catalan side have trimmed their squad in recent weeks but United are said to believe the Camp Nou giants have no intention of making a true effort to capture Pogba.

Jason Burt of the Telegraph reported Barcelona could explore the option of signing Pogba in January or the following summer transfer window. United reportedly rejected a recent bid from Barca of €50 million (£44.7 million) plus Yerry Mina and Andres Gomes for their star talent.

Bleacher Report's Dean Jones tweeted he believes United must now show Pogba their commitment to his ability and potential:

Pogba was handed the captaincy by United manager Jose Mourinho for the team's first match of the Premier League campaign, as the Red Devils defeated Leicester City 2-1 at Old Trafford on Friday.

The new skipper opened the scoring from the penalty spot, but gave a muted celebration as United supporters cheered with delight.

After the match, the player gave a cryptic interview, saying he would be "fined" by his club if he made his current feelings known.

Squawka Football highlighted the depth of Pogba's first performance of the season:

Pundit Alan Shearer said in his column for The Sun it is now up to Mourinho to get the best from Pogba and his misfiring superstars:

Shearer wrote:

"Jose must know that if he keeps on picking fights with his players he will never win. Whether we like it or not, the players have all the power these days — they will win.

That was proved at Chelsea. Those players, top players, didn’t want to perform for him.

Then in came Antonio Conte, who won the title with basically the same bunch of players.

If Jose is not careful, just continuing with the constant criticism, something similar will happen at Manchester United.

The important thing on Friday night was that they won the game. They weren’t brilliant by any means but they took the three points, which is what they had to do."

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Pogba showed flashes of brilliance against Leicester, but it was at the World Cup he proved he is a world-class entity in his own right.

It is Mourinho's failing he has not got the best from the player since he returned from Italy, and he must now build his midfield around the Frenchman's strengths, while countering his weaknesses.

Pogba should be given the United captaincy on a permanent basis, and United need to close the door to any potential club that attempts to tempt him to new shores.