Barcelona prepared to take “Coutinho approach” with pursuit of Paul Pogba

Barcelona are not afraid to play the long game.

It's beginning to look unlikely that Barcelona will be able to get a deal done for Paul Pogba in the current transfer window but that doesn't mean that they will give up on the Manchester United midfielder. According to a report in the Independent, the Catalan giants are prepared to be patient with their pursuit of Pogba in the same way that they were with Philippe Coutinho. Barca had been linked with a move for Coutinho last summer but after several approaches were rejected by Liverpool, they backed off until January and finally convinced the Reds to part ways with their playmaker for an initial fee of £105 million, potentially rising £142 million. And the La Liga champions are set to do the same with Pogba, whose problems with manager Jose Mourinho have been well-documented. Certain reports claim that the 25-year-old has told his United teammates that he is keen on a move to the Camp Nou but Sky Sports reports that Pogba has issued no new wage demands amid interest from Ernesto Valverde. United have no intention to sell their record signing this summer because the club's executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward will not sanction a transfer for Pogba to leave Old Trafford under any circumstances, according to a report in the Times. In terms of incomings at Old Trafford, Mourinho is understood to be greatly frustrated about the lack of business from the Red Devils this summer. Fred is the only big-money signing to arrive, with both Diogo Dalot and Lee Grant expected to serve as backup options for the season, and with the transfer deadline looming, it's quite possible that United's summer spending is already over.