Paul Pogba paid a visit to Saudi Arabia last weekend. There are rumours that the French midfielder is about to leave Juventus. If that happens, Teun Koopmeiners may come into the picture at the Italian top club.
Pogba can follow Firmino
Pogba travelled to Jeddah, where his name was linked to the Al-Ittihad of Karim Benzema and N’Golo Kanté. According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, it is fellow townsman Al-Ahli who wants to run off with the veteran. Roberto Firmino’s club has reported verbally to agent Rafaela Pimenta and has a three-year offer worth €100 million in mind.
It is not yet clear whether Pogba will accept the lucrative proposal from Saudi Arabia. The French international only played 161 minutes for Juve last season and harbours feelings of revenge. In addition, Juve can ask what it wants because of its ongoing contract. Al-Ahli would think of a transfer fee of around ten million euros, but first wants to see if Pogba is physically okay.
Juve makes contact with agent of Koopmeiners
Meanwhile, possible successors are being looked at in Turin. Koopmeiners’ name is high on the list. Cristiano Giuntoli, the new technical director, is very fond of the Orange international and has already contacted his agent informally. In his time at Napoli, Giuntoli also targeted Koopmeiners. According to the pink sports newspaper, Atalanta Bergamo would demand at least 35 million euros for the 25-year-old midfielder.
Franck Kessié (Barcelona) and Rodrigo de Paul (Atlético Madrid) are also mentioned. Both players have a history in Serie A. De Paul has also been in the interest of Juve in the past. Habib Diarra, a nineteen-year-old talent from RC Strasbourg, is considered a dark horse.
Juve midfielder looks back with homesickness at Barcelona
Arthur Melo has not been a player of Barcelona for several years, but the Brazilian still follows the Catalan club closely. The Juventus midfielder is even a little homesick for his time at Barcelona. This summer he paid a visit to his old team.
Melo played for Barcelona between 2018 and 2020, after which he was sold to Juventus for more than eighty million euros. He still couldn’t convince the club. The Old Lady rented Melo to Liverpool last year. At the English club, the Brazilian played a total of 76 official minutes.
So Melo sometimes looks back with nostalgia at his time at Barcelona, where he was regularly allowed to appear as a basic player. “If I had stayed there for another season, I would have made the last step to the top. I felt better and more mature every day in Barcelona. But in football everything can change like that: I went to Juventus,” said the 26-year-old defensive midfielder in conversation with SPORT.
