Manchester United target Paul Pogba: Real Madrid officially deny bid for Juventus midfielder

Real Madrid have released an official statement to deny media reports suggesting they have submitted an offer for Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba.

The French international has found himself the subject of a particularly long-running transfer saga for many months now, with his excellent form for the Serie A champions believed to have attracted significant interest from former club Manchester United as well as the likes of Chelsea, Barcelona, Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain.

Real, who announced the departure of manager Carlo Ancelotti earlier in May just a year after he guided them to a 10th European Cup triumph, have also been routinely linked with the 22-year-old in the past but have now gone public to deny any contact over a potential deal in an official statement released on 28 May.

It said: "Following the reports published in the Italian newspaper La Stampa concerning an alleged offer from Real Madrid for the player Paul Pogba, the club wishes to state the following:

"Real Madrid have had no contact either with Juventus or the player's agent and, as a consequence, the reports published in this newspaper are completely false."

Pogba, back in action after missing almost two months with a hamstring injury, initially departed Old Trafford as a free agent in 2012 having become disillusioned over a lack of first-team football under Sir Alex Ferguson but has since thrived during a hugely impressive stint in Turin.

In addition to winning three consecutive domestic titles, the 2013 Golden Boy award winner also won the Coppa Italia for the first time following Juventus' extra-time victory over Lazio at the Stadio Olimpico on 20 May and now only Barcelona can prevent Massimiliano Allegri's side from completing the treble in the Champions League final, which will be played in Berlin in June.

Real, meanwhile, look set to name Rafael Benitez as their successor to Ancelotti in the coming days. The Spaniard's current employer, Napoli, held a press conference on 28 May, with the former Liverpool and Chelsea boss announcing he will leave the Italian side after the club's final game of the season against Lazio on 31 May, following two years at the Stadio San Paolo.