Midfielder Paul Pogba could be worth more than €100 million (Dh413m) in the future, Juventus chief executive Giuseppe Marotta predicted on Wednesday.
“As we want to win, we have decided to keep hold of a player as important as Pogba, although we have had offers from some very important clubs,” Marotta told a news conference.
“In the future he could be worth more than 100 million euros.”
The 22-year-old Frenchman, who combines explosive pace and strength with outstanding technique, joined Juventus from Manchester United in 2012 and has helped his side take a stranglehold on Italian football.
Juventus, Serie A champions for the last four seasons, have lost their first two league games this term and Marotta admitted it had been difficult to replace Andrea Pirlo, Arturo Vidal and Carlos Tevez, who all left in the summer.
“We’ve lost the likes of Pirlo, Tevez and Vidal, three irreplaceable players, against our will and replacing them isn’t easy,” he said.
“Directors, managers and players come and go, but clubs, victories and their successes to come remain.
“It’s difficult to do better than last season as that would mean winning the Champions League, but this new Juventus has quality,” he added.
“What we do need to work on is instilling the winning mentality into this new group, because we are Juventus and it’s our duty to win both in the present day and in the future.”
Marotta was critical of Schalke after an attempt to sign the Bundesliga club’s midfielder Julian Draxler fell through.
“There has been a difficult dialogue with Schalke, who are a mysterious club,” he said. “They made a disproportionate request, 36 million euros is an exaggeration and there was also the lack of interest from the player.
“I’m disappointed at the lack of negotiation, not because it did not go through.”
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