Arsene Wenger described the probable £100m fee for Pogba as "completely crazy"

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has confirmed he is in the market for a new centre-back but insisted he will not be forced into paying over the odds after calling Paul Pogba’s expected £100m transfer to Manchester United “completely crazy”.

Pogba is said to be finalising a record-breaking transfer from Juventus to United for a fee in excess of £100m.

Wenger was asked about Pogba's potential move at a news conference ahead of Sunday's preseason game against Mexican club Chivas in Los Angeles.

Manchester United are expected to break the world transfer record to sign Paul Pogba

"It is completely crazy if you cannot afford to pay it. If you can afford to pay it you can justify it," Wenger said.

"It is completely crazy if you compare it to normal life. That is for sure. But we live in a world where every activity that is worldwide makes a lot of money.

"Football has become a worldwide competition and that is why clubs can afford to do it. Does it make sense in the way the player can give you that investment back? Nobody ever could calculate.

"Since I am in this sport I always thought the record cannot go higher and I was always wrong. Maybe in a few years it will be 200, 300 [million], who knows."

Arsenal have signed three players so far this summer - Granit Xhaka, Tasumo Akano and Rob Holding - but Wenger is keen to further strengthen his squad before the transfer window closes.