Manchester United: Jose Mourinho predicts Paul Pogba's world-record transfer fee will be broken in summer

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho claims Paul Pogba will lose his status as the world's most expensive player in the summer.

The France international, who left Old Trafford as a free agent in 2012, returned to the club after spending four years at Juventus. The Red Devils paid a world-record transfer fee of £89.3m ($110m) in August 2016.

United are linked with a move in signing Atletico Madrid star Antoine Griezmann and could face competition from Inter Milan. According to The Sun, the French striker is valued around £110m ($136.6m) and such a deal could see Griezmann beat his compatriot to become the world's most expensive player.

Pogba has scored seven goals and has five assists to his name in all competitions, which includes an assist for Zlatan Ibrahimovic's winner in United's 2-1 win over Blackburn Rovers in the FA Cup fifth round tie on 19 February.

Mourinho has backed the former Juventus midfielder to become a star player at United and remains confident that the fee involved in his transfer will soon look like a bargain in the next few years.

"I think the next summer can bring a few surprises at this level and probably Paul will lose his status as the world's most expensive player, which is probably a good thing," Mourinho explained, as quoted by Sky Sports.

"A few years ago £25m was a phenomenal player. Today, £25m is not even a player, it is a prospect of a player. Now if you want to buy a good prospect, a good 20-year-old player who can be fantastic, you are paying as if the player is already a big player.

"I am pretty sure that next summer some players with only half his quality probably will cost the same money or more, so I am waiting for that moment to release him from the scrutiny. The scrutiny on him is hard, is difficult. But that's the price of being who he is and is also the price of his price.

"I am really happy with what he has been doing for us. He gives us an incredible balance and he is still very young. He starts build-ups from the back, he recovers the ball and at the top of the pitch he is a guy that can score goals. He can be fantastic and I think in a couple of years you will realise he was cheap."