Manchester United prepared to lose midfielder for free?

Manchester United are prepared to lose midfielder Paul Pogba on a free transfer next year, ESPN reports.

The Frenchman has just eight months left on his deal, and he could leave on a Bosman transfer in June.

United's hierarchy have made efforts to convince him to stay, but there has been no progress thus far.

According to ESPN, the club are unlikely to cash in on the World Cup winner when the transfer window reopens.

The club's owners believe the midfielder is too valuable to offload and are not keen on any financial boost.

They are braced for the summer exit of Pogba, and are already lining up potential replacements for him.

Franck Kessie of AC Milan is one of the top names on their radar with his contract expiring next summer.

They could open talks over a pre-contract during the winter transfer window.

Meanwhile, Pogba could do something similar with Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus keen.