French midfielder Paul Pogba is a target for Manchester United their manager Jose Mourinho all but confirmed to the BBC in an interview given in China.

The Portuguese handler told the BBC it would be pointless to pull the wool over their eyes and say he and United weren't courting Italian champions Juventus's 23-year-old playmaker -- who could cost the English club a world record £100million ($131m, 119m euros) just four years after he left them for £800,000.

"You have smoke, you have fire," said Mourinho, who is in China with the squad for a friendly tournament involving Manchester City -- managed by his bitter rival Pep Guardiola -- and Borussia Dortmund.

"I am not going to try to make you naive and believe that we are not trying for one player."

However, Mourinho, who replaced the sacked Louis van Gaal shortly after the Dutchman had overseen United win the FA Cup last season, said if the Pogba deal fell through there was a fallback option.

Pogba's French international team-mate the tireless Paris Saint Germain midfielder Blaise Matuidi has been mentioned as an alternative.