Barcelona were forced to end interest in Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba says Ariedo Braida

Barcelona international adviser Ariedo Braida has revealed the Spanish giants were keen on signing Manchester United summer transfer target Paul Pogba. However, Juventus asking for a world-record transfer fee forced them to end their interest in the midfielder.

The 23-year-old is believed to return to Old Trafford, four years after he left the Red Devils as a free agent to join the Turin club. Since joining the Italian side, he has developed into one of the best midfielders in the world.

According to French publication L'Equipe, United's world-record bid of €120m (£100m, $132m) has been accepted by Juventus for Pogba's transfer. The Guardian claims the Premier League giants' will buy the Frenchman's commercial rights taking his earnings to £290,000-a-week ($383,558 per week).

Braida explained that it is not just Pogba's fee that saw them look elsewhere in the market. He claims the Juventus star's wage demands also made the transfer not financial viable for the La Liga winners.

"Clearly when you talk about figures that go over €100m, you need to reflect on them," Braida told Canale 21, as quoted by Goal.com.

"It all comes down to the TV rights that brought in a lot of money and completely changed the logic of the transfer market. Clearly all players are overrated to some degree or another at this stage.

"We know Pogba, he is a player who proved to be very strong and, for a while, Barcelona were interested, but clearly the dynamics changed and once the figures reached a certain point, we were no longer interested.

"It's hard to keep up at some stage, because you don't only have to consider the price of the transfer fee, but also the player's salary. Over the course of five years, that can amount to tens of millions."

Barcelona were not the only Spanish club interested in Pogba. The Guardian report also claims that their league rivals Real Madrid made a late approach to hijack United's world-record move. However, the player's agent decided against doing any business as he wants to take his client to Old Trafford.

With Barcleona taking a step back due to the hefty price tag associated with the transfer, this has seen the 20-time English champions not face heavy competition from either of the two Spanish giants in their ongoing pursuit of Pogba.