Its not the rumors that scare me.. Its the fact we are signing Pjanic and are still linked to players like Gotze... We usually dont buy like that.. I remember us signing 3 WC players in 1 mercato - It was the summer we sold Zidane and went to buy Thuram Buffon and Nedved. I also remember when we signed Dybala and were linked to great players and we all thought it is going to be a great mercato but then we lost Pirlo Vidal and Tevez!
What I`m trying to say is I hope this bright future we are seeing wont end like those summers (even if the first one got us to be a much better side eventually...)
Pjanic and Gotze instead of Pogba doesnt mean we are weakened as they are both great players and we might even become stronger BUT Pjanic Gotze AND Pogba will be something extraordinary!
I share your concern.
Although, it is possible that we could afford a player like Gotze & Lukaku without selling Pogba but it would require solid execuation on sales of players like Asamoah, Pereyra, Hernanes and Zaza.
So for example:
IN: Alves (0), Pjanic (31m), Mascherano? (22m?), Benatia (loan + option), Gotze 35m?, Lukaku 45m?, Lemina 9.5m, Mirante 2m, Berardi 25m = 170m
OUT: Cuadrado & Caceres (om), Asamoah (10m), Pereyra (14m), Hernanes (7m), Morata (30m), Zaza (25m), Neto (8m), Isla & Coman 2nd install (7m) = 101m
Net would be 70m - which is a bit of a stretch but not unheard of. I suspect though that Gotze would be part of a Coman exchange with would effectively reduce that net from 70m to around 50m as we are due to receive 20m for Coman the following year.
Still, in order for that to work, Marotta has a hell of a lot of work to do in making sure he can raise the funds through the sale of all of those players.