United target Paul Pogba set to sign Juventus extension?

Recent reports had led us all to believe that Paul Pogba's move to Manchester United was something of a fait accompli (though perhaps we should've been more sceptical when the notorious Guillem Balagué climbed aboard the bandwagon). However, news today suggests that the Frenchman's return to Old Trafford is far from a done deal; indeed, his agent Mino Raiola, quoted by ESPNFC, has suggested he could renew his contract at Juventus:

"There is a lot of talk about Paul's future, but maybe he will not leave Juventus," Raiola, who also represents new United signings Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, told The Times.

"He is in no rush to leave, and Juventus do not want him to go. They want him to renew his contract. Paul is not desperate to move. We are very happy at Juventus and they are a club that want to keep their star players."

Of course, this is something of a textbook negotiating manoeuvre, and there's every reason to think that Raiola will privately be nudging Pogba towards United. Agents stand to make big cuts of big deals, and United are apparently willing to offer a bigger deal than anyone else. Let's hope this is just a case of Raiola trying to use the media for greater negotiating leverage rather than a serious possibility; it would be a huge disappointment for the deal to fall through now.