Josep Maria Bartomeu Talks Paul Pogba Amid Barcelona Transfer Rumours

Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu was coy when quizzed on rumours linking the club with a move for Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba. 

The Frenchman was discussed as a possible target for the Catalan club in the summer, and the speculation has continued during the early stages of the 2018-19 season, with Pogba struggling for consistency at Old Trafford.

Speaking with The Times (h/t Liam Prenderville of the Daily Mirror), Bartomeu offered an insight into the processes that occur when a high-profile footballer goes on the market:

"I read these rumours—not just Pogba but a lot of players. Most of the teams don't want to sell their players. They want to grow.

"When you hear from agents that a certain player is on the market—and I am not saying that about this player, but generally—I will sometimes call the CEO and say 'Is it true you want to sell this player?' Usually they say 'No way, not for sale' and that's the end of it."

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As Prenderville noted, the relationship between Pogba and manager Jose Mourinho is said to be strained at Old Trafford. Per Zinny Boswell of Sky Sports, the United boss said on Tuesday that Pogba was not the club's "second captain" anymore.

Footage then emerged of the player and Mourinho involved in a frosty exchange at the Red Devils training ground:

Pogba isn't showing his best on the field at the moment either and was hauled off after 70 minutes against West Ham United on Saturday. The Red Devils struggled throughout the contest and were eventually beaten 3-1.

Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News was critical of his performance at the London Stadium:

The midfielder is into his third season back at United, having moved to the club for a then-world-record transfer fee from Juventus in 2016. While he has conjured some wonderful moments for the Red Devils since returning, overall Pogba has been a conundrum for Mourinho.

With that in mind, it's not surprising the Frenchman has been linked with a move.

However, the Blaugrana have spent big money on bolstering that area of the field recently. Philippe Coutinho arrived for a club-record fee in January, while in the summer the departures of Andres Iniesta, Paulinho and Andre Gomes paved the way for the arrivals of Arthur and Arturo Vidal.

Pogba would add something different to this facet of the team, although former Liverpool and England defender Jamie Carragher said he doesn't believe the player would be a good fit at the Camp Nou:

The cautious tactics of Mourinho may have limited Pogba's performance at United, as he's a footballer who requires freedom to be at his best. However, even within this pragmatic setup, a player with his talent should be offering more.

With that ability in mind, interest from Barcelona wouldn't be a big surprise, yet after spending so much on midfielders in the last year, it would be a shock to see the La Liga side splash more cash on another player for this part of the squad.