Paul Pogba is set to become one of the most intriguing free agents on the market at the age of 31.
The Juventus midfielder was suspended from all football-related activity in February of this year after testosterone — of a kind not produced by the body — was detected in a test carried out on August 20, 2023, according to the Italian anti-doping agency (NADO Italia).
Pogba was given a four-year ban, until August 2027, but earlier this month won his appeal case at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) which reduced that to 18 months. This means he will be allowed to return to first-team training in January and be eligible to play competitive football in March.
After his successful appeal, he gave a series of interviews and told Italy’s Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper that he is “willing to give up money” to play for Juventus again and that he wants to “come back” to the Turin club.
The World Cup winner last played for Juventus in September 2023. He wore their No 10 shirt but that number was handed on to Kenan Yildiz, a Turkey international, at the beginning of this season, leaving Pogba’s future up in the air.
Despite saying he wants to return to Juventus, sources — who like everyone spoken to for this article, spoke on the condition of anonymity to protect relationships — on both sides of the table have told The Athletic that talks are ongoing over how to terminate his contract rather than how he can be reintegrated into Thiago Motta’s team.
His Juventus contract does not expire until summer 2026 and he had been the Serie A side’s highest-paid player, on €500,000 (£418,000/$543,000 at current exchange rates) a week, only for his salary to be reduced to €2,000 a month during his suspension under the terms of an agreement between Italian clubs and the country’s professional footballers’ union (AIC).
Should a deal be struck between Juventus and Pogba to terminate his contract early, it is unlikely the Frenchman will be short of potential suitors. But sources close to Pogba say he wants to continue playing at the highest level, which would indicate remaining in Europe and signing for a team competing in the Champions League.
Italy?
Before Pogba left Juventus to rejoin Manchester United in summer 2016 in a deal worth £89million, then a world record, he could have had his pick of clubs. But after a relatively underwhelming six-year second spell at Old Trafford that saw United win the League Cup and Europa League in 2017, Pogba left as a free agent upon the expiry of his contract.
He returned to Juventus in summer 2022, amid much fanfare, but had started just one match for them (and made 12 appearances) due to persistent injury issues before he was banned from football in September last year. It has effectively been 14 months since his last competitive match — he came off the bench in a 2-0 win against Empoli on September 3.
Juventus, for their part, were unaware Pogba was going to give a series of interviews to say he wanted to stay with them once his ban expires, but terminating his deal would not just be motivated by economic reasons.
They spent the summer overhauling their squad, signing young players and reducing the wage bill by moving on Alex Sandro, Federico Chiesa, Adrien Rabiot and Wojciech Szczesny. There is a sense behind the scenes in Turin that they have turned the corner.
It was their managing director of football Cristiano Giuntoli’s first summer window with Motta, the new head coach he picked, in the dugout. Nine new players arrived and three youngsters were promoted from their academy. This is a new-look Juventus, and after 10 games, they entered this weekend’s round of fixtures sixth in Serie A, seven points behind leaders Napoli.
In his recent interview with Gazzetta dello Sport, Pogba made clear he could not bring himself to play for another Italian club, saying: “I’ll never betray Juventus. It’s impossible, even if Ibra (Zlatan Ibrahimovic) were to call me (and try to sign him for AC Milan, where superstar striker Ibrahimovic is now an adviser to the owners).”
With Pogba apparently ruling out the rest of Serie A, and his desire to resume playing at the highest level, Spain, England, Germany or France remain as possible destinations.
James Horncastle
Spain?
Real Madrid liked Pogba a lot five years ago and considered making a move. But they had already signed the likes of Eden Hazard, Eder Militao and Luka Jovic that summer and needed to sell players before they would be able to go for him. They did not shift those players and therefore were unable to pursue Pogba.
Madrid have since focused on younger midfielders, such as Eduardo Camavinga, Jude Bellingham (both 21) and Aurelien Tchouameni (24). Their midfield is well-stocked, so it would make little sense for them to sign Pogba, who turns 32 in March.
Barcelona sources, kept anonymous to protect relationships, were very clear they do not intend to move for Pogba.
That leaves Atletico Madrid of Spain’s big three, and unless Pogba is willing to take a significant pay cut and play the Diego Simeone way, it is unlikely he will be going there.
Guillermo Rai, Pol Ballus and Dermot Corrigan
England?
Although a third spell in the Premier League would not be beyond the realms of possibility, signing for a club competing for titles, be that Manchester City, Arsenal or Liverpool, is unlikely for myriad reasons.
In an interview with the UK’s Daily Mail newspaper earlier this month, Pogba said he turned down interest from City when he was at neighbours United in 2022, noting he wanted to leave Manchester and start afresh. And even though Rodri, City’s star midfielder, is out for the rest of this season with an ACL knee injury, it is unlikely he will be on their radar.
Pogba also does not fit the profile of player Chelsea are signing these days, while United have moved on. The Frenchman showed glimpses of his quality during that six-season second stint at Old Trafford, but not enough for English clubs to be falling over themselves trying to sign him now.
Germany?
There is no suggestion at either Bayern Munich or Borussia Dortmund that signing Pogba is a topic of discussion, and it is unlikely that Pogba would move to a team lower down in the Bundesliga.
At Bayern, recruiting for the midfield is not seen as a priority and Pogba’s profile would not fit the type of player they would want at all. Dortmund would not pay anything close to his existing wages for anyone — let alone him — so he is not seen as even worth discussing internally.
Seb Stafford-Bloor
France?
Playing for a team back home could attract Pogba, whose most recent taste of French club football was as the 16-year-old who left Le Havre’s youth ranks for United’s academy in summer 2009. Paris Saint-Germain were reported as one of the teams trying to sign him in 2022, when he returned to Juventus, while Marseille have been linked with a move in recent weeks.
“The possibility of coming to play in Ligue 1? I’m at a club, I’m just thinking about coming back and getting out of this situation,” Pogba told French media outlet L’Equipe last month. “Of course, you never know what tomorrow will bring, so never say never.”
United States/Canada?
Sources in sporting operations at multiple MLS clubs, speaking anonymously to protect their own employers’ plans, said they had no doubt teams in the North American competition have put in what the league calls “discovery claims” on Pogba, which would give them priority to negotiate with the player.
That being said, they pointed out that it would be difficult for Pogba to sign with two of the biggest clubs in MLS: LA Galaxy and Inter Miami. Both have filled their designated player (DP) spots for the 2025 season, which begins in February. LAFC has one open designated player spot left, but sources across the league believe they are engaged in discussions with Pogba’s long-time France team-mate Antoine Griezmann, of Atletico Madrid, to fill it — as first reported by GiveMeSport.
The sources did point out that there is a workaround for teams looking to add big-name players, however, especially those who sign mutual termination agreements with their previous clubs. If a player is getting paid out by the team he’s leaving, he might be willing to come to MLS for a lesser amount and sign without being a DP. Inter Miami’s Jordi Alba is a prominent example of a player who has come to MLS on a discount, in his case while still being paid by Barcelona.
Pogba could also just choose to come at a discount in order to play in a more desirable market. That’s not without precedent either, as Gareth Bale (LAFC) and Marco Reus (Galaxy) are two recent examples to have signed with clubs in Los Angeles in the past several seasons.
He would have to make less than $1.744million (£1.34m) in 2025 to avoid the designated player tag.
Paul Tenorio
Saudi Arabia?
One of the final remaining options is a move to the Saudi Pro League (SPL).
Pogba ruffled feathers in Italy when he visited Jeddah club Al Ittihad’s training ground in July 2023 and, as a Muslim, has made several pilgrimages to Saudi Arabia. From a faith standpoint alone, you could see why the SPL could be an attractive proposition.
Didier Deschamps, manager of France’s men’s national team, has also shown a willingness to pick players competing in a league seen as inferior in quality to the European big five (Premier League, Serie A, La Liga, Bundesliga and Ligue 1): Pogba’s fellow midfielder N’Golo Kante, of Al Ittihad, was selected for and played in the Euros this summer.
The recent summer transfer window, however, saw a retreat in terms of Saudi clubs signing big names and offering huge salaries to players arguably past their best. Whether that would deter them from making a move for Pogba remains to be seen, though, and you would expect there to be talks with his representatives at the very least.
From the multiple interviews he gave earlier this month, it is clear Pogba is viewing his ban being reduced from four years to 18 months as a chance to restart his career. He believes his best years are ahead of him and is more determined than ever to prove a point.
Football, however, quickly moves on — and clubs competing at the very highest level, the ones Pogba sees himself as still capable of playing for, may view him as yesterday’s man as opposed to someone who, on his best day, can dominate a match for them from midfield.
Time will soon tell if Pogba’s days at the top of European club football are thrown a lifeline or whether he is consigned to maximising his earning potential elsewhere.
(Top photo: Rich Storry/Getty Images)
