Zinedine Zidane's hopes of bringing Paul Pogba to Real Madrid have been dashed, with Florentino Perez reportedly unwilling to sanction a deal upwards of £50million.
Zidane still covets France's World Cup winning midfielder, and is willing to sign him 'at all costs', according to reports in Spain this week.
But the Bernabeu president is not as keen as his manager on the 26-year-old, and will only sanction a cut-price deal, according to Mundo Deportivo.
Perez is unwilling to do the deal before next summer, and wants to limit the cost to £50m.
He fears that Pogba's arrival would block the path for young talents like Federico Valverde and Martin Odegaard.
Pogba is under contract at Old Trafford until June 2021, and the chances of prising him from United at such a price before then appear slim.
Real Madrid manager Zidane has made no secret of his admiration for his French compatriot and United know Pogba is keen on moving to the Bernabeu.
Pogba and Zidane met up in Dubai back in October and, according to Spanish newspaper Marca, have been in constant contact this season.
They report that Zidane is still demanding the club sanction the signing of Pogba, given that was his primary demand when he returned for a second spell coaching the club in March.
But Marca also report there is a reluctance at board level in Madrid to sanction a move that would cost them well in excess of £100million.
Pogba is currently nearing a first-team return from a foot injury that has kept him out of action since the draw with Arsenal at the end of September.
It has restricted him to only six appearances this season, though there have been suggestions that Pogba is deliberately delaying his return to action so as not to aggravate his foot injury and jeopardise a potential move to Real.