The "will they or won't they?" affair between Real Madrid and French international Paul Pogba may finally come to a conclusion this summer. According to the latest reports, the Manchester United midfielder has informed his club that he intends to run down his current contract until this summer and join Real Madrid.

It is no secret that Pogba will be out of contract at the end of the current campaign, and there have been conflicting reports about his future. It was earlier reported that the Red Devils are keen to hold on to the Frenchman, even if they have to make him the highest paid player in the Premier League in order to convince him to stay. However, the player has reportedly denied that he was ever made an offer to extend.

Pogba's arrival from Juventus six years ago caused some major headlines, but he has since fallen into the shadows at Old Trafford. Now, reports from England are claiming that he has sat down with club directors and he will be allowed to depart on a free transfer at the end of the season to join Los Blancos.

Real Madrid, for their part, have not commented on the current situation. Much of the transfer speculations around the Spanish giants have been centred around another Franchman, Kylian Mbappe. Former Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane spearheaded the pursuit for his countrymen, but now Carlo Ancelotti has remained mum on the Pogba situation.

The fact that he will be available on a free transfer will be an attractive prospect for Real Madrid president Florentino Perez, who is known as a genius when it comes to managing the club's finances. It remains to be seen if a move will push through, and with Pogba now free to sign a pre-contract agreement, the answers may come sooner rather than later.

For now, United manager Ralf Rangnick is focused on the remainder of the season, and he believes Pogba will do the same, regardless of his future plans. "My contract as a manager is also expiring in the summer," he German said, as quoted by Marca. "For us, we have the same goal. We have the same ambition, to be as successful as we can possibly be in the next three or four months."

Paul Pogba
Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba Photo: AFP / Paul ELLIS