Mino Raiola called Jurgen Klopp ‘piece of s***’ in row before Liverpool offered Paul Pogba
Paul Pogba: Sell or keep?
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If wild reports from France that claim Liverpool have been offered the chance to sign Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba are to be believed, there’s a certain sequence of events that are worth revisiting. Back in the summer of 2016 when Jurgen Klopp was taking charge of his first pre-season as Liverpool boss, the German made the decision to expel Mario Balotelli from first-team training.
The decision was made because Klopp had no intention of keeping the Italian, who had spent the previous season back on loan at AC Milan.
It was clear that Balotelli had no future and Liverpool and he was instructed to find a new club.
He was also left out of the squad for Liverpool’s pre-season tour of the United States and all of their other friendlies ahead of the new campaign.
Raiola would later earn his client a permanent move to Nice, where Balotelli would eventually prove a hit after netting 33 goals in 61 matches.
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Yet the Dutch super-agent couldn’t help but take aim at Klopp after the completion of the move, calling out his treatment of the former Manchester City striker.
“Ultimately, the directors at Liverpool admitted Klopp was wrong,” Raiola told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
“I cannot judge whether he is a good coach, although for me he is not, but he didn’t understand that, above all, Balotelli is a person.
“Mario had exemplary behaviour, never complained when training alone, and to say it was a mistake by Klopp is an understatement, he is a piece of s**t.”
Raiola later insisted that he would not hold a grudge against Klopp or Liverpool when future transfer business is concerned.
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“I will never be standing in the middle of the interest of my player but it doesn’t mean I have to shut up when I see things are not being done in a good way,” he explained.
“I have no problem to talk to Liverpool tomorrow and offer them one of my players. If I have to be afraid of speaking my mind because I lose a deal, then I lose my powers. I’d rather go walking through life than living on my knees.”
His comments align with reports from French outlet Le10 Sport, who claim Liverpool have been offered the chance to sign Pogba.
The World Cup winner is now in the final year of his contract and Paris Saint-Germain are now believed to be leading the race for his services.
As it stands, he is not expected to sign a new deal with United, meaning Ole Gunnar Solskjaer could be forced to sell before the transfer window closes.
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Even if those reports are to be believed, United are highly unlikely to do business with their bitter rivals Liverpool.
Furthermore, the Reds may not even want to sign Pogba and would have to wait until at least January to pursue him, assuming United blocked any move to Anfield.
Klopp did take the chance to respond to Raiola’s scathing verdict of his treatment of Balotelli and it would be fair to say their relationship remains fractured…
“We did not isolate him [Balotelli]. I’m not interested in things like this,” Klopp said at the time.
“It’s a free world, he can say what he wants. There’s no problem. It’s part of the business. It’s all good.”
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