Paul Pogba moves to Manchester United for record $116 million

French star Paul Pogba’s move from Juventus to Manchester United for 89 million pounds ($116 million), a sum confirmed by Juventus, makes him the world’s most expensive player. Here are the most expensive transfers in football history:

Manchester United had been linked to offers for Pogba even when Louis Van Gaal was still coach. But the machine really started turning when Jose Mourinho took over on his mission to get United back into the Champions League frontrunners. The fee, 89 million pounds, confirmed by Juventus, could rise by five million euros “on achieving given conditions,” the Turin club said without further details

The fact that Pogba had played for United as a teenager and was released for a pittance makes the transfer even more incredible. For a while Real Madrid had been contenders for Pogba’s signature.

Welsh forward, Gareth Bale’s performances for an attractive Spurs side persuaded Real Madrid to bid £85.1m for him in 2013. The English side could not refuse such advances and let their star man go.

He has built on his career at the Santiago Bernabeu with two Champions League titles, scoring in the final of the first of the two against Atletico Madrid.

Real Madrid came calling for Portuguese master Cristiano Ronaldo with what was then a world-record bid — £83.7m in 2009.

Juventus paid the biggest fee for a domestic transfer of Gonzalo Higuain at £75.3m in 2016, when they matched Higuain’s buyout clause of 90 million euros.