ROME -- As football’s summer transfer window nears its zenith, the future of Juventus’ Paul Pogba continues to dominate headlines and excite fans across Europe. Many of the continent’s most decorated clubs have long admired the French midfielder, with Manchester United currently viewed as his most likely destination.

 Amid this heightened speculation regarding the future of his 23-year-old star midfielder, Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri has remained bullish, stating “I am calm about the English rumours. This is not a selling club that just lets its players go.”

 Rumours circulating in recent times have suggested that Manchester United would be prepared to pay up to €120 million for the Frenchman’s signature, which would constitute a new world record fee for a singular transfer. However, according to Allegri in an interview with ‘Gazetta dello Sport’, any such move would be a step down for his star man.

 “Anyone who has the opportunity to leave Juventus has to consider things very carefully, because right now Juve are among the top four European clubs,” said Allegri. “Pogba belongs to Juve and at the end of the day he too will want to win another Scudetto and hopefully the Champions League. We have grown in terms of appeal and awareness of our own capabilities.”

 Allegri is certainly well founded in his assessment of his side’s recent success. The club has, this year, won the Scudetto for the fourth successive season and was narrowly defeated by Bayern Munich in a tight last-16 Champions League encounter. Should Pogba be lured by the riches of Manchester’s Red Devils, he will be forced to live without the prospect of immediate Champions League football, as United only qualified for the Europa League, following a dismal campaign under former manager Louis van Gaal.

 It remains likely however, that Pogba would earn a substantial increase in his annual wage and could also be tempted to move by the opportunity to work under Jose Mourinho, Manchester United’s new manager. The Portuguese has enjoyed success across Europe, winning the Champions League with Porto and Internazionale, along with league titles at Chelsea and Real Madrid and has placed Pogba firmly at the top of his shopping list.

 "As you know, I am a manager that likes specialists, not multi-functional players," said Mourinho at a recent press conference. “From our targets we have three, until we have the fourth we will be working hard on that. When we have them we will breathe.”

 In today’s market when it is becoming evermore difficult to attract a star player for a reasonable price, high transfer fees are often bandied about in order to feed the ever-transforming rumour mill. However, with the potential for the first three-figure fee in world football, the Pogba story is a little different. Could the Frenchman really justify such an eye-watering figure?

 The beginning of the 2015/16 season was always going to pose a challenge for the Old Lady, who lost talisman Andrea Pirlo to the advances of Major League Soccer in the United States, and their top marksman Carlos Tevez to his native Argentina. Furthermore, after the departure of midfield enforcer Arturo Vidal to Bayern Munich and a late injury to Claudio Marchisio, the Bianconeri were forced to start the season with only Pogba from the midfield, which had taken them to the final of Europe’s premier club competition in May.

 It could be seen that the pressure of being Juventus’ go-to man weighed heavily on Pogba, whose form dipped in the opening weeks of the season. However, the Frenchman’s fortunes rather resembled his team over the course of the campaign, as his return to his dominant best coincided with a 25 game unbeaten streak, which propelled Juventus to the title.

 Meanwhile, on the national stage, despite somewhat of a disappointing Euro 2016 campaign on a personal level, Pogba’s France reached the final of the tournament and the team was unlucky to lose to a spirited Portugal side. The midfielder seemed to be suffering from fatigue after an intense season with Juventus, however there remained the odd flash of brilliance from the much-vaunted youngster.

 Within Pogba’s transfer saga, there remains the certainty that rumours will continue to circulate until either a deal is struck or the window closes for business. Mino Raiola, the Frenchman’s agent, is renowned for both his brinkmanship and a gritty ability to extract value for his players. The Italian born Dutchman is also well accustomed to high profile transfers, having been the agent of Zlatan Ibrahimović throughout the Swede’s career. Interestingly, Zlatan has recently signed for Manchester United, but if Jose Mourinho wants to add another of Mino’s stable to his squad, there remains much work to be done.

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