Manchester City turned down the chance to sign Paul Pogba before he joined Juventus (Picture: Reuters)

Former Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has revealed the club turned down signing Juventus star Paul Pogba on a free transfer from Manchester United.

The French international decided to leave United in the summer of 2012 after becoming frustrated with a lack of first-team football under former Old Trafford manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

Pogba opted to join Juventus for less than £1million in compensation and the move has paid dividends for both player and club. The forward’s form has seen him touted as one of the best European talents and he has established himself as a mainstay in the France team.



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Galatasaray boss Roberto Mancini said he did not know why City failed to sign Pogba (Picture: AFP/Gettty)

Mancini, who will come face-to-face with the youngster when his Galatasaray side face Juventus in Tuesday’s Champions League game, is still puzzled why City did not sign Pogba.

He explained to Tuttosport: ‘He is a player I really like. Two years ago, before he went to Juventus, we could have signed him for Manchester City on a free transfer.

‘To be honest, I can’t really remember why we decided not to.’

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