Paul Pogba wants eye-watering salary to reject Real Madrid and stay at Manchester United

Alexis Sanchez is currently the highest earner at Old Trafford, which tells you all you need to know about their negotiating abilities

Manchester United have already lost the battle to keep Ander Herrera at the club and Paul Pogba has laid out his demands for committing his future to the Premier League giants. Real Madrid are thought to be circling for the French midfielder with the temptation to play under Zinedine Zidane emphasised by Pogba calling the Spanish side "a dream club for every player". In response, United are considering extending the player's contract past its current June 2021 expiry date, even though they possess the option of a 12-month extension. Martin Lipton reports a large hitch in any plans to do this, however. A three-year deal to 2024 is said to be on the table but Pogba wants to boost his wage from £300,000 per week to the same level as Alexis Sanchez's £505,000 pay packet. The reports follow the same line as those saying David de Gea also wants to match the Chilean's wage in negotiations over his new contract, adding further fuel to the fire that signing Sanchez has been a complete waste of time for the Red Devils. Naturally, he was only signed on a swap deal for the oft-benched Henrikh Mkhitaryan but that context is proving to be little help is dissuading the club's actual best players from wanting the same amount. Whether Pogba is truly worth such a dramatic pay hike is also up for debate. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's arrival in the United dugout seemingly unleashed the World Cup winner into his best form but he has since sunk back to a more tepid level, notching just one goal in nine games.