Barcelona reveal they had the chance to beat Manchester United to the signing of Paul Pogba but blew it

BARCELONA blew the chance to sign midfielder Paul Pogba before he completed his world record switch to Manchester United.

The Spanish giants had agreed a deal with Juventus 12 months ago that they would have first priority on Pogba if he were to leave the Old Lady.

And Barca’s director of sporting relations, Albert Soler confirmed that the France international would be playing at the Nou Camp had they gone through with a deal.

He said: “Last year we reached a deal with Juventus for us to have a priority option when they sold Pogba.

“This summer we decided that there were players that suited us better on a sporting level.

"The idea of the board was that nobody would be able to get ahead of us in the market.

"It allowed us to have options."

Juventus weren't keen to offload their talisman at the end of last season so Barcelona failed to pursue a deal but during the recent transfer window they opted for cheaper options in Valencia's Andre Gomes.

The club believed the Spaniard would be more suited their style of play.

Pogba eventually broke the record books with a stunning £89million transfer to Old Trafford and has enjoyed a promising start to life in the Premier League.