Former manager Giovanni Trapattoni urges Juventus to sell Paul Pogba

Former Juventus manager Giovanni Trapattoni has urged the Old Lady to sell their star midfielder Paul Pogba in the summer.

Since leaving Manchester United and joining The Turing club, the French international has been one of the sought-after midfielders in Europe. He signed a new deal with his current employers last year, which is set to expire in 2019.

Pogba's agent Mino Raiola has already admitted that his client will leave the Serie A giants before 2016, who is valued to be around £75m. Trapattoni has urged his former club to sign three quality players from the sale of the 21-year-old.

"Pogba's a great player but he is not Lionel Messi, otherwise it would be a sacrilege to sell him," Trapattoni told Tuttosport.

"For £75m it is better to sell him. You can then get three players from medium-to-high European clubs."

"To sell Pogba for £75m and then look for a direct replacement risks spending all the money on someone who is less strong. It's happened before at Juventus. But if you choose the replacements well, it's not a problem," the former Juventus manager said.

Pogba has been a transfer target for the Premier League clubs in recent times. The Frenchman's former club United are keen on signing Pogba in the summer, while their league rivals Chelsea are also in the hunt to secure his signature.

The midfielder has already opened the door to rejoin United after publicly expressing his love for the Premier League giants on numerous occasions in recent times.

Juventus sit on top of the league table with 50 points from 21 games and are seven points ahead of second place AS Roma. Trapattoni has backed the Serie A champions to win the Scudetti this year and also claims the club is already planning to win seven or eight titles in a row.

"There is the potential for Juventus to win five Scudetti in a row," the former Juventus manager said.

"Inside Juventus, though, they will be planning two years ahead of where we are now and they will be thinking of winning seven or eight straight titles. It's an engine that never stops running."