Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has dismissed speculation that they are trying to sign Manchester United player Paul Pogba, joking that he does not know who the Frenchman is.
Pogba has often been linked with a transfer move to Spain, enduring a great deal of criticism since his return to England from Seria A Juventus.
However, the Blancos chief is keeping his cards close to his chest and giving nothing away with regard to a potential pursuit of the midfielder.
“I don’t know who Pogba is,” Perez said jokingly after Real Madrid’s Spanish Super Cup win over local rivals Atletico Madrid in Saudi Arabia.
It is possible that Florentino Perez’s desire to cool any talk of pursuing Paul Pogba is down to the emergence of Federico Valverde.
Real Madrid’s inability to sign Pogba amid their summer spending spree has forced manager Zinedine Zidane to use the 21-year-old more regularly this campaign.
The Uruguayan has played 21 games across all competitions so far and has taken his chance with both hands, impressing greatly in the final against Atletico, despite his late red card for a challenge on Morata to preserve the result.
Perez has made no secret of his admiration for the youngster, saying that the player has all it takes to etch his name into Madrid folklore.
“[Valverde] will figure as one of the great stars at Real Madrid for years to come,” Perez said.
Given the hefty fee that would likely have been demanded for Pogba, Valverde’s emergence means that Madrid can turn their financial resources elsewhere, potentially pursuing a transfer for Kylian Mbappe.
