Manchester United transfer news: Club will owe Paul Pogba £15m even if he leaves - report
The World Cup winner is out of contract at Old Trafford next summer
Manchester United could be forced to pay Paul Pogba £15m even if he leaves the club this summer, according to reports.
The France international has been strongly linked with a move to PSG in recent weeks.
Pogba is out of contract at Old Trafford next year and has yet to reach an agreement on an extended deal.
If the 28-year-old tells United that he has no intention of remaining in Manchester beyond 2022, he could be made available for transfer this month.
Indeed, United may prefer to sell the midfielder this summer rather than risk losing him for nothing in 12 months' time.
But while such a stance would appear to make financial sense, the situation is complicated by a clause in Pogba's contract.
According to The Sun, United could be forced to pay the Frenchman £15m even if he moves to the Parc des Princes before the transfer window closes at the end of August.
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Pogba would forfeit such a payment if he hands in an official transfer request.
But if the former Juventus star does not go that far, he will be owed £15m even if PSG sign him.
That figure is equivalent to the final 12 months of his United contract, which was signed when he re-joined the Red Devils in 2016.
That is potentially significant. If PSG bid £50m for Pogba, United would essentially receive only £35m once the pay-off has been taken into account.
It is unclear whether such a sum would be deemed sufficient to allow the France international to seek pastures new.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer would probably prefer to keep hold of Pogba for another season, as he eyes a Premier League title tilt in 2021/22.
United might also begrudge the pay-off on principle, while the existence of such a clause makes it unlikely that Pogba will officially request a transfer.
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