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Every big club wants Paul Pogba. Will Juventus sell him?

Welcome to Summer of Pogba II.

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Last summer was littered with rumors of Paul Pogba’s sale. Juventus repeatedly said he was not for sale at any price, and they stayed true to their word. But this time around, the bids might come in bigger and earlier.

It appears that Pogba is Real Madrid’s biggest target, while Barcelona need to start thinking about life after Andres Iniesta, as well. Manchester United don’t have Champions League soccer and didn’t rate him enough as an 18-year-old to make him feel valued, but they’re apparently willing to spend big to bring him back.

Notably, Juventus were sellers last year. They let Andrea Pirlo, Arturo Vidal and Carlos Tevez go, so it made sense that their fourth superstar didn’t have a price. This year, no big stars are obviously on the way out, while Juve look like they’re spending big on Miralem Pjanic. So, when Beppe Marotta says Pogba isn’t for sale, it’s a bit harder to take him on his word than it was last year.

Goal of the day

Christian Cueva’s opener for Peru against Ecuador. (r/soccer)

In the news

Luis Suarez won’t play against Venezuela, and it’s looking increasingly unlikely that he’ll play in Copa America at all. (ESPN FC)

The Bundesliga’s new TV deal represents an 85 percent increase for them. (Bundesliga)

Quique Sanchez Flores is the new manager of Espanyol. (RCD Espanyol)

Former Bayer Leverkusen manager Sascha Lewandowski, who was asked by his doctor to take time off from management due to acute fatigue syndrome, has died at age 44. (BBC)

Atlanta United has signed a 15-year-old as their first homegrown player. (MLS)

Manuel Pellegrini is the front-runner to be the next AC Milan manager. (Mirror)

Adidas had to apologize for misspelling “Colombia” on ads. Whoops. (SI)

You should be reading

Bhavya Dore on FC Lampedusa, a German refugee soccer club trying to raise awareness of the global refugee problem and human rights concerns. (Unusual Efforts)

Michael Gibbons on the legacy of Euro ‘96. (In Bed With Maradona)

Ted Knutson on Jamie Vardy’s potential move to Arsenal and their alternatives. (Stats Bomb)

What happened on Wednesday

Coutinho was Brazil’s best player in a rout of Haiti.

Ecuador and Peru played out a 2-2 thriller.

What to watch on Thursday (click for listings, all times ET)

Copa America: Two games (from 7:30 p.m.) -- Both are worth watching tonight.

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