Pogba's brother in tug-of-war as two clubs fight over ownership

The older brother of Manchester United star Paul Pogba has found himself in the middle of a transfer tug-of-war in the Spanish fourth tier, with two clubs claiming to have him under contract.

Tercera Division outfit Manchego have fervently denied that striker Mathias Pogba, 29, has agreed a contract with Lorca, despite the latter claiming to have signed him on Twitter.

"The player, today, continues to have a valid card with our club,” Manchego claimed on their official website.

“As we have been doing, we will ALWAYS defend the rights and interests of the Manchego Ciudad Real CD.”

The two teams are in negotiations as they attempt to resolve the situation.

Even more unusually, Lorca’s initial tweet announcing the signing included a link to the club’s app – designed to help fans pick their side’s teamsheet.

The app’s description reads: "You can assume the role of football coach during the matches and the general manager in the day to day.

“With MRF you have the unique possibility in the world of leading a real football team, in real matches, and all in a Spanish league, where the best players on the planet play.

"Your goal: to take the team to the First Division of Spanish football."

Whether Pogba will be available for selection from the club’s fans, however, remains to be seen.

United midfielder Paul is the youngest of three footballing Pogba siblings.

Mathias’ twin, Florentin, is a defender who most recently played for MLS side Atlanta United.

The two twins have both represented Guinea at international level, the country of their birth. Paul, three years their junior, was born outside Paris, hence his decision to represent France.

Mathias has had a varied career, and may be known to fans in England after representing a number of lower-league sides.

Having started out at Celta Vigo and Quimper, he played for Wrexham, Crewe Alexandra and Crawley Town, as well as Scottish side Partick Thistle.

More recently, he turned out for Sparta Rotterdam and French side Tours, though a proposed move to Germany recently broke down over alleged fitness issues.

He had previously spent over a year out of the game with a serious Achilles’ tendon injury.