Real Madrid are ready to move on from Paul Pogba and will give up on signing the Manchester United midfielder if they can strike a deal for Neymar.
Los Blancos have pursued the Frenchman all summer, but United held firm and remained adamant that Pogba would not be sold. Now, with the English transfer window having closed, Pogba's exit from Old Trafford seems even more unlikely.
As such, Real appear to have turned their attention to Neymar, and The Sun claim that they will only return for Pogba if they fail to lure Neymar to the Santiago Bernabeu this summer, largely due to the financial cost of pursuing both players.
Any move for Neymar is expected to cost Real at least €120m upfront, and Los Blancos have already proven that they don't have that kind of money lying about, given they failed to come anywhere close to United's asking price for Pogba.
According to the Daily Mail, United believe that Real simply cannot afford Pogba, and their bid of just £27.6m plus James Rodriguez is evidence of this. The Red Devils wanted almost £170m for the Frenchman, so they feel as though a move to the Bernabeu is likely off the table.
Failing to sign Pogba is seen as a huge blow to Zinedine Zidane, who identified Pogba as a core part of his squad rebuild.
However, with president Florentino Perez failing to complete the deal, El Pais journalist Diego Torres told The Independent that Zidane is even considering resigning over the whole ordeal.
Given all the speculation surrounding Pogba, many at United are said to be surprised that he is still at the club, although they are also thought to be concerned by his recent admission that there are still 'question marks' over his future.
However, with Real likely to miss out on him, Pogba looks set to remain at Old Trafford for the foreseeable future.
Source : 90min