Transfer Gossip Extra: Pogba, Neymar & Bale

Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba wants to leave the club, his agent Mino Raiola has told The Times.

Pogba, 26, has been absent from pre-season training this week, adding to speculation about his long-term future.

In June, Pogba said "now could be a good time to find a new challenge".

And Raiola has now told The Times: external-link "Everyone knows the willingness of Paul to move on. We are in the process of that. Everyone knows what the feelings of Paul are."

The Italian agent added: "Everyone within the club, from the manager to the owner, knows Paul's wishes."

When asked directly if France international Pogba would travel with the squad for a pre-season tour of Australia on Sunday, Raiola said: "I cannot tell you anything. I live day by day."

United expect the 2018 World Cup winner to be on the plane to Australia.

But while most of his team-mates reported for pre-season duty on Monday, Pogba is away from United's Carrington training base with the permission of manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer - having been given time off after a hectic 16 months.

Pogba's future has been the subject of intense speculation for months. There were widespread reports of acrimony between him and former United manager Jose Mourinho, while the midfielder stated in March that Spanish giants Real Madrid were "a dream club for every player", though he did add that he was happy at Old Trafford.

Real and Italian champions Juventus have repeatedly been linked with Pogba, who is contracted to United until 2021.

Since rejoining from Juventus in 2016, Pogba has scored 31 goals in 135 matches and won the EFL Cup and FA Cup in 2016-17.

He was the only player outside of Liverpool and Manchester City to be named in the Professional Footballers' Association Team of the Year for 2018-19.

'Absence not key in Pogba future' - analysis

BBC Sport's Simon Stone

Pogba's schedule since the end of March 2018 shows just why he has been granted a break. He played the final 10 matches of that campaign for United, then had a key role as France won the World Cup, and was thrown straight back into another Premier League campaign.

Along with forward Marcus Rashford and goalkeeper David de Gea, the midfielder made 47 club appearances last season - and no United player made more.

Both Rashford and De Gea were given additional time off by United this summer, and Pogba has had greater international commitments over the 2019 close season than both of them, making three 90-minute appearances for France.

So, while the talk over Pogba's Old Trafford future is bound to continue at least until the English transfer window closes on 8 August - perhaps until the Italian window shuts on 23 August, or the Spanish transfer deadline of 2 September respectively - his current absence from training is not in itself a reason to speculate.