Mino Raiola not dead: Football super-agent of Paul Pogba and Erling Haaland victim of 'fake rumours'

The agency of Mino Raiola has said that the football agent is alive after reports from Italy claimed he had died at the age of 54. The 'super-agent', whose superstar clients include the likes of Paul Pogba and Erling Haaland, was reported to have passed away following an illness.

Raiola underwent surgery in January after being hospitalised in his homeland of Italy, but the nature of the operation was not revealed at the time. Italian television reported on Thursday that Raiola had died after suffering from a lung disease, but his agency have now said that this is false.

As reports spread, Daniella Matar, an Italian sports correspondent for The Associated Press in Milan, tweeted: "Mino Raiola's agency have told me: 'they're fake rumours. He's not dead'". Raiola's assistant, José Fortes Rodriguez, also told Dutch media: "He's in a bad position, but he hasn't died."

Famous for playing a role in big-money transfers, Raiola helped engineer midfielder Pogba's then-world record transfer move from Juventus to Manchester United in 2016. He previously established himself as one of football's most high-profile agents after working on transfers for players including Dennis Bergkamp and Pavel Nedved.

Among his other clients are the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Gianluigi Donnarumma and Mario Balotelli.