Juventus director general Giuseppe Marotta has confirmed the club have rejected an €80 million bid from Barcelonafor Paul Pogba.
On Wednesday, Barcelona directors Ariedo Braida and Alberto Soler flew to Italy for a meeting with Marotta and Bianconeri sporting director Fabio Paratici before making their opening offer.
“Barcelona offered us €80m for Pogba but we don’t want to sell him,” Marotta told Gazzetta dello Sport.
Pogba has emerged as Barcelona’s primary transfer target this summer, despite the club being banned from signing new players until January 2016.
With the Camp Nou presidential elections taking place in just over two weeks, all the candidates – including current incumbent Josep Maria Bartomeu and former chief Joan Laporta – want to buy Pogba now and register him for the start of the 2016-17 season.
Having already sold Carlos Tevez to Boca Juniors and with Andrea Pirlo set to depart to New York City FC, Juventus are unwilling to lose another key player – although they could be more open to selling next summer should Barcelona increase their offer to €100m.
Pogba joined Juventus in 2012 on a Bosman transfer from Manchester United and has developed into one of the world’s most sought-after players.