'I was offered Pogba in Jan'
Manchester City were offered the chance to sign Manchester United's Paul Pogba during the January transfer window, according to City manager Pep Guardiola.
"I said no. We don't have the money to buy Pogba because he is so expensive," Guardiola told reporters on Friday as he attacked the conduct of agent Mino Raiola.
Guardiola also suggested Raiola offered him then United midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan shortly before his move to Arsenal. However, there is no suggestion that United had given their approval for Pogba -- signed for a club-record fee of £89 million from Juventus in 2016 -- to be offered to City.
City will win this season's Premier League title if they beat second-placed United at the Etihad on Saturday.
Guardiola's ire was aimed solely at Raiola, with whom he has had a long-running feud dating back to his Barcelona days. That feud was reignited two weeks ago when Raiola called Guardiola a "zero", a "coward" and a "dog" after former United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, one of his clients, moved from Old Trafford to join the LA Galaxy in the United States' Major League Soccer.
Guardiola mentioned Pogba when asked about Raiola's verbal attack on him. “I will answer him; I don't understand why I am,” he said. “Finally, the people discover my secrets – I'm a bad guy. I'm a coward. I don't understand why I am a so bad guy. I never speak with him so his opinion [about me], I don't know. But being a guy who two months ago offered me Mkhitaryan and Pogba to play with us. Why?"
Mourinho, who had his press conference before Guardiola's, said he will not hide from the gulf between the sides. Mourinho was uncharacteristically taciturn ahead of the game, refusing to discuss a number of topics, although he confessed that he will not try and talk down City's superiority in the table.
"My motivation is to finish second," he told reporters on Friday. "I still have the motivation of finishing top four, mathematically it is not done. It is a good distance but not done mathematically.
"So that's the first objective but after that I don't hide. In practical terms and to continue into next season especially, to finish second, third or fourth is exactly the same -- you don't win the title but qualify for the Champions League.
"But I prefer to finish third to fourth and I prefer second to third. We have been second for many, many months, it is our objective to fight for that and for that we need points."
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