Report: Manchester United Up Paul Pogba's Price Tag to £180M

Manchester United have reportedly raised Paul Pogba's price tag to £180 million in response to Mino Raiola's comments about his client's desire to leave the club.

According to the Mirror's David McDonnell, United initially valued him at £150 million, but they have been "angered" by the agent's publicly revelation of Pogba's stance and raised his price tag accordingly.

Raiola recently discussed the Frenchman's wish to move on from Old Trafford this summer:

For his part, manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer defended Pogba after those comments:

However, as Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News observed, the public nature of Raiola's comments do little to help the Norwegian's cause:

In June, Pogba suggested that he would be open to leaving United this summer.

Per David Hytner and Sid Lowe of the Guardian, the 26-year-old alerted Real Madrid and Juventus when he said "it could be a good time to have a new challenge somewhere else."

With both the player and his agent discussing a potential exit, many fans might be open to seeing the back of the France international.

Pogba has shown flashes of his quality during his time at Old Trafford, but he has struggled to deliver it consistently.

Last season was his most productive at United, as he contributed 16 goals and 11 assists in all competitions, but most of his best form came between December and February upon Solskjaer's arrival. For the rest of the campaign, his performances were often lacking.

However, he is still arguably the Red Devils' best player, and United's recruitment in recent years offers little encouragement to suggest they can successfully replace him.

Ahead of this summer, the club had spent almost £700 million on players since legendary former manager Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013. Despite that enormous expenditure, they have struggled to put out a coherently assembled team, and few additions have been resounding successes.

Keeping Pogba might be the best option in a less-than-ideal situation.