Paul Pogba issues response to £500,000-a-week Manchester United contract claims

Paul Pogba has refuted claims that Manchester United have offered him a £500,000-a-week contract to stay at Old Trafford.

The France international, who is edging closer towards a return following a lengthy injury lay-off, is out-of-contract at United at the end of the season and has so far shown no sign of putting pen to paper on a new deal.

A national newspaper claimed on Friday that United, in a last-ditch attempt to convince the midfielder to stay at the club beyond this summer, had offered him a bumper new contract, worth half a million pounds a week, which would see him become the highest-paid player in Premier League history.

However, Pogba’s spokesperson has rejected the reports, denying that there has been such an offer made by the Reds.

In a statement released to the Mail, the spokesperson said: “To clarify media reports, Paul has not been offered a new contract in recent months. Paul is fully focused on his recovery from injury with the aim of helping the team as soon as possible.”

Pogba, who returned to Old Trafford from Juventus in the summer of 2016, is free to discuss terms with any non-English club this month, ahead of joining them in the summer on a pre-contract agreement.

The midfielder, who has racked up seven assists in nine Premier League appearances so far this season, has always maintained a stance that he will make a decision on his future at the end of the season, although it has become increasingly likely in recent months that his future will lie away from Old Trafford.

Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid are amongst the clubs to have been most regularly linked with the 28-year-old, but it does remain hard to predict where he will end up playing his club football from next season.

Meanwhile, interim United manager Ralf Rangnick has provided an update on Pogba’s road to recovery, confirming that he faces up to another month before he can return to first-team training.

The German said: “As far as I know, I was told a week ago, it would be a minimum of at least another four or five weeks before he is fit for training again.

“I saw him this morning before the training session, he was in the locker room, and I hope he will be back as soon as possible.”

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