Zinedine Zidane added in the list of admirers of Paul Pogba

A fresh round of transfer speculation regarding the future of Paul Pogba has been triggered by Zinedine Zidane admitting he is a fan of the player.

The Real Madrid coach revealed his admiration for the Juventus midfielder, who is also believed to be a target for his former club Manchester United.

"I'm very happy with the squad I have available. It's difficult to improve," Zidane said. 

"Do I like Pogba? Of course, he's a very good player and every club wants the best players, but right now he's at Juve and we have a large squad already.

"There are still lots of players yet to join up with the squad and with the Euros going on we couldn't do anything. We have three games coming up and that's the focus at the moment."

Pogba's future

With Juventus demanding a new world record fee for the France international, there are only a small number of clubs able to buy Pogba, although Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri wants to keep him for the new season.

United are certainly one of them, with new manager Jose Mourinho already splashing out a huge amount of cash on Eric Bailly, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Henrikh Mkhitaryan so far this summer.

Pogba began his career at United but left the club after failing to break through into the first team. Since moving to Serie A he has won the Italian league title every season with Juve, but he is thought to be ready to move on.

A return to United would offer the chance to work with Mourinho, as well as proving those who decided he was not good enough for the club wrong.

However, Zidane is also a massive draw, with the fellow Frenchman leading Madrid to the Champions League title in his first season at the club.

Pre-season preparations

Speculation about Pogba looks set to rumble on for a few weeks yet, with Juve holding out for a fee in excess of £100 million, while United and Madrid are both hoping the price comes down as the closure of the transfer window nears.

Madrid, who are set to play Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Bayern Munich in the International Champions Cup as they warm up for the new La Liga season, have had a quiet time in the transfer market so far this summer.

However, that could mean that Zidane is keeping his money back for a hugely expensive move for Pogba, with any proposed deal likely to eclipse the £80 million paid to bring Gareth Bale to the Bernabeu from Tottenham.

Pogba's arrival could also thrust the future of James Rodriguez into doubt, but the coach insists he is not looking to sell any of his star names.

"A large squad gives you a few more problems but that comes with the territory as Real Madrid coach," Zidane, who was speaking at a press conference in Montreal, said. 

"I have to play the most competitive side I can and I'll do the same thing this season, that's my responsibility."