Paul Pogba, released from his doping suspension next spring, has declared he wants to play again for Juventus. But the Italian club does not wish to keep him.
It’s no longer reciprocal. Authorized to resume competition in March 2025, thanks to the reduction to 18 months of his suspension for doping, Paul Pogba sees himself wearing the colors of Juventus again. “I am willing to give up money to be able to play again with Juve,” he said in an interview posted online on Wednesday (October 16) by La Gazzetta dello Sport. Except that the Italian club is clearly not of the same opinion.
Following this statement from the 2018 world champion, several Italian media report that Juventus still intends to part ways with the player. According to the Gazzettathe Turin club wishes to find an agreement for a contract termination. The discussions have been open for some time and have never been closed.
The threat of unilateral contract termination
The statements of coach Thiago Motta supported this thesis: the former PSG player spoke of the Frenchman in the past tense. “He’s been a great player, he hasn’t played for a long time,” said the former Italian midfielder.
Although it hopes to conclude this deal in a calm climate, so as to offer a proper farewell, Juventus would still be ready to terminate the contract unilaterally if necessary. The suspension for doping would then be used as an argument by the club to get out of this commitment which runs until June 2026 with a net annual salary of 8 million euros.
“I’m preparing to play with Juve”
During his suspension, Paul Pogba receives the minimum provided for in the Serie A collective agreement, namely a little more than 2,000 euros per month. “The reality is that I am a Juve player and I am preparing to play for Juve,” added the 31-year-old footballer.
“I want to be ready to train and play with Juve, I am a Juve player. In my mind, there is only that at the moment,” he insisted.
Since his return to Serie A in July 2022 after six seasons at Manchester United, Pogba, whose 2022-2023 season was disrupted by a serious knee injury, has only played 12 matches (213 minutes of play, zero goals ) and has significantly tarnished its image. “This will be a new Pogba, hungrier, wiser and stronger (…) I only want to play football,” promised “La Pioche”. The midfielder assured that he “could not see himself wearing the jersey of another Italian club” and presented the campaign launched on RMC by his former teammate Patrice Evra to see him join Marseille as “a farce”.
