Bad news for Paul Pogba and De Ligt transfer hopes

Paul Pogba, Matthijs De Ligt and many other players who are client of Mino Raiola may have to handle their transfer business themselves this summer after the Italian agent’s ban from football related activities was extended worldwide by FIFA.

Pogba and De Ligt are one of the high profile players Raiola manages and they are expected to be among players that will be making a move when the summer transfer window starts. De Ligt, 19, has been linked with a host of club following an impressive season with Ajax that saw them reach the Champions League semi-finals for the first time since 1997, win the KNVB cup and also on the verge of winning the Eredivisie.

Pogba meanwhile is one of Real Madrid’s target as the Los Blancos tries to strengthen a floundering squad. But with Raiola now suspended for three months, Pogba may need to acquire a new agent or conduct business himself if he wants to realize his dream of playing f0r the All Whites.

Pogba’s brother, Florentin Pogba, hinted that his younger brother could be eying a move. “Things are going to happen,” he told AS.com. “Summer’s coming. We’ll see if he stays, if he goes…”

That’s bad news for United, who could follow a disappointing season—they currently sit sixth on the Premier League table—with the loss of their best player and most high-profile superstar.

While City and Liverpool are fighting for the Premier League title, Liverpool and Tottenham are squaring off for the Champions League title and Arsenal will face Chelsea in the Europa League Finals, United will end the 2018-19 season devoid of silverware.

As for Raiola, a reason for his transfer ban wasn’t offered by FIFA. He responded to the ban by calling it “a sentence dominated by political willing, without taking into the right consideration of law” and “a sentence based on false grounds and lies,” according to Joe Wright of Goal.com.
Matthijs de Ligt, meanwhile, has been tipped for a transfer to Barcelona from Ajax this summer, though according to Hugo Cerezo of Marca, that “has been put on standby due to agent Raiola’s concerns about the commission he would receive as part of the deal.”

Per that report, “The notorious agent is holding out for 20 percent of the transfer fee for himself, a figure of 14 million euros, which is incredibly high when you consider that agents usually receive between five and 10 percent.” La Liga’s transfer window doesn’t close until the end of August, however, so Raiola’s recent ban may not affect those negotiations.

But with the Premier League moving its transfer window up several weeks before the start of this past season, Raiola won’t be able to conduct any offseason transfer business for his clients in the league or intending to join the league. It’s another wrinkle in a summer for Pogba where it appears likely that “things are going to happen.”