Man Utd hold talks to sign the “second coming of Pogba”

Unless you’ve been living under a rock in recent months you will know that Manchester United desperately need to sign a crop of new midfielders.

The departure of Casemiro and the impending exit of Manuel Ugarte dictates that in Michael Carrick’s first transfer window as United boss, he needs to rebuild the midfield.

The foundations are already there. In Kobbie Mainoo they have one of England’s best young players and in Bruno Fernandes they have the best player in the Premier League.

Ederson looks set to join in the coming weeks and he will offer plenty from the base, protecting the defence and setting attacks into motion. However, Jason Wilcox and Co cannot stop there in their bid to improve those central areas.

Man United planning for more after Ederson

News broke on Tuesday evening that United had wrapped up a deal for the Atalanta midfielder, agreeing a fee in the region of £35m to bring him to English football.

So, what’s next? Well the likelihood is that they will spend a much bigger sum to bring in a genuine elite-level midfielder. That will not be easy though.

Moves for Elliot Anderson of Nottingham Forest and Sandro Tonali at Newcastle look very tricky when you consider they could fetch £100m fees.

Another target in the form of West Ham’s Mateus Fernandes is also said to be worth a whopping £80m. Those in the Premier League know they can charge a premium for their star assets.

As a result, United may need to get creative, they may need another cheaper alternative.

According to reports in Spain, via Sport Witness, that man could be Sevilla’s Lucien Agoume. They report that the Spanish side have approached United and held talks with them regarding the 24-year-old.

In fact, Sevilla have actually offered the player to Carrick and Co, telling them to pay around £22m if they want to lure him away from LaLiga.

Why Agoume could be Man United’s new Pogba

Paul Pogba, eh? The Frenchman was quite the enigmatic character but there have been very few more exciting players in the modern era at Old Trafford.

While things ended a tad sour when he left Manchester behind, he did so having given supporters a set of incredible memories. No one is forgetting Pogba in a hurry and the fact he’s still talked about in these parts speak volumes.

The midfielder exited with 233 appearances under his belt, registering 81 goal involvements in that time.

Pogba was the definition of a box-to-box master. His energy was relentless. His ability to power past opposition players was unmatched. He was a monster in the middle of the park, contributing effectively at both ends of the pitch.

Well, in Agoume, United could sign “the second coming of Paul Pogba”, as he was referred to by European football expert Zach Lowy when he was first breaking through at Sochaux in France and at Inter.

It’s safe to say that the midfielder has not quite lived up to the hype he was given as a teenager and the fact Sevilla want to offload him perhaps doesn’t paint the best picture.

Agoume did not end the season at Sevilla in the best of ways but he barely missed a game for the Spanish side, outlining his importance.

A dogged and aggressive player, he picked up a whopping 11 yellow cards. He did score just once but the Cameroon-born midfielder registered four assists.

What makes Agoume most similar to Pogba is his power. Standing just an inch smaller than the great Frenchman at 6 foot 2, he has long levers to power his way through the midfield. Their tall, wirey frame is certainly similar.

As a result, he is able to make a huge number of ball recoveries. In 2024/25, the Sevilla star ranked within the top 18% of midfielders in LaLiga for that metric, completing 5.78 per 90. For context, in 2021/22, Pogba made as many 6.51 for United in the Premier League.

Aerially, they are both phenomenal. During his prime at Old Trafford, the French superstar won 2.39 aerials per 90 during the same aforementioned season. Agoume won 1.79 per 90 in 2024/25. In the words of The Athletic’s Alexander Barker, the “physical’ section” of Agoume’s scout report is just a “great big green tick”.

Barker notes that he is “a fantastic athlete. He’s tall, strong, fast, and agile,” which certainly sounds like Pogba, doesn’t it?

Sure, the Sevilla man is not a carbon copy of Pogba. He averages less than one dribble per 90, largely due to his restricted role as a number 6 at the base of the Spanish side’s midfield. That said, as far as recovering the ball and producing a physical presence from midfield is concerned, they are cut from a similar cloth.