ManU completed the transfer of Paul Pogba from Juventus for a world-record transfer fee of £89M ($116M), according to Jefferson Lake of SKY SPORTS. The France int'l signed a five-year contract and the fee will "potentially increase" to £93M ($121M) through "several add-on clauses." Pogba said, "I feel the time is right to go back to Old Trafford. I always enjoyed playing in front of the fans and can't wait to make my contribution to the team." The 23-year-old left ManU for Juventus in '12 having made just seven senior appearances in all competitions for the club, all from the bench. Lake also notes that sources "understand Manchester United will not pay Juventus' agent's fee" (SKY SPORTS, 8/9). REUTERS' Ken Ferris reported Pogba "is the latest" of ManU Manager José Mourinho's new signings following defender Eric Bailly, striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic and midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan as the Portuguese coach "revamps the under-performing squad he inherited from Louis van Gaal." Before ManU signed Pogba, Real Madrid Manager Zinedine Zidane said, "Everyone is interested in Pogba. He is a great footballer and when you are Madrid you always want the best" (REUTERS, 8/9). The BBC reported Mourinho said that Pogba could be "the heart of the club" for the next decade. The £89M fee surpasses the £85M Real Madrid paid Tottenham for Wales forward Gareth Bale in '13. It is the first time in 20 years an English club "has set a world-record transfer fee," after Newcastle United paid £15M to sign England striker Alan Shearer from Blackburn Rovers (BBC, 8/9).
POSSIBLE BOOST FOR ADIDAS: THE DRUM's Tony Connelly wrote Pogba's switch "could be a boom" to adidas, which sponsors both Pogba and ManU. The timing could not "have been better" for adidas, with Pogba’s arrival at Manchester coming just days after it posted "strong sales for the quarter." It caps an "18-month turnaround for the business, which is now looking to Pogba to kick it on to new heights." Pogba to ManU is "a perfect union" for adidas. The German brand "is pumping marketing monies into six cities" -- London, Paris, L.A., N.Y., Shanghai and Tokyo -- where the club "has a strong fan base in each." While sponsors like adidas are not driving transfers, "they do exert a light touch." Brandtix CEO Jon Rosenblatt said that the popular midfielder is "fast becoming a brand of his own, in the same way Neymar has done so successfully." Rosenblatt: "Moving to United, and becoming adidas’ top Premier League player will elevate him quicker than any other player that’s transferred of late" (THE DRUM, 8/9).
