Football

Why Adidas stepped in to stop Paul Pogba leaving Man Utd to seal Real Madrid transfer


Adidas campaigned for Paul Pogba to stay at Manchester United this summer amid interest from Real Madrid because he is worth more to them playing his football at Old Trafford.

The sportswear conglomerate signed Pogba on a 10-year boot deal in 2016 estimated to be worth £31million.

They also have a £75m-a-season kit contract with United, making Manchester a key area for their global brand.

Pogba has close ties to the Three Stripes company and notes that he is “proud to represent @adidasfootball across the world” in his Twitter bio, which contains no mention of United.

The Frenchman said he wanted to leave Old Trafford this summer but the club were reluctant to lose the midfielder, slapping a £150m price tag on him.

As the summer transfer window drew to a close it became evident that Pogba would stay put – and Adidas had a part to play.

The Daily Star report that Adidas “acted as peacemakers” between Pogba, his agent Mino Raiola and United chiefs.

They saw it in their best interests to have Pogba at United because he is easily the biggest name in the squad.

At Real, on the other hand, there are more star players such as Eden Hazard, Gareth Bale and Sergio Ramos who could dwarf Pogba’s commercial clout.

It is unclear whether the kit manafacturer will be able to have the same effect on negotiations next summer as Pogba enters the final 12 months of his current deal.

Intriguingly, it was on an Adidas press tour in Tokyo that Pogba first confirmed he wanted to leave United.

He said: ”For me I have been for three years in Manchester and have been doing great; some good moments and some bad moments, like everybody. Like everywhere else.

“After this season and everything that happened this season, with my season being my best season as well… I think for me it could be a good time to have a new challenge somewhere else.

“I am thinking of this: to have a new challenge somewhere else.”



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