Pogba & De Gea demand huge pay rises to offset top four failure (Times)

  /  autty

Uncertainty over Manchester United’s Champions League future next season has seen Paul Pogba and David de Gea both demand huge pay rises.

The Red Devils were knocked out of Europe’s elite competition in midweek as Barcelona crushed them 3-0 at the Nou Camp to secure a comfortable 4-0 aggregate victory.

Their hopes to qualify for next season’s Champions League have taken a hit after an alarming run of form in the Premier League has seen them drop out of the top four.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side are currently sixth in the top flight, two points behind fourth-placed Arsenal with just five games of the season remaining.

Failure to qualify for the top European competition would see every United player have their basic salary reduced by 25 per cent.

This was the case when they last missed out on Champions League qualification before Jose Mourinho’s arrival in 2016.

And The Times have claimed that Pogba and De Gea have got wind of this situation, and have demanded a huge pay hike amid fears United will miss out on a top-four spot.

Pogba is currently on a £290,000-a-week deal and has two years left to run on his current contract at Old Trafford.

The midfielder has, however, been linked with a summer switch to Real Madrid and there is a strong possibility that he could leave United for the Spanish giants.

Goalkeeper De Gea, who has endured a tough time on the pitch of late, has been locked in talks over a new contract for some time now.

The Spain international is looking for an improvement on his current £200,000-a-week contract, and his representatives are agitating for a higher basic salary.

Real Madrid are also keen on De Gea, and the Spanish giants could use this latest saga to their advantage.

Related: Manchester United De Gea Pogba
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