Juve to part ways with Pogba despite reduced suspension

Despite Paul Pogba seeing his suspension reduced to 18 months, Juve are still looking to move the midfielder off their books.

The headline is that Paul Pogba’s suspension for failing multiple drug tests has been cut short. The Juventus star was previously banned from the sport for four years because of using illegal performance-enhancing drugs.

However, the Court of Arbitration for Sport officially announced that the suspension would be reduced to 18 months.

Due to the failed tests, Pogba has been out of action for Juve and the France national team since August 2023. Because of this, the French midfielder can officially return to competitive soccer in March 2025.

“Finally, the nightmare is over,” Pogba said in a statement.

“Following the decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, I can look forward to the day when I can follow my dreams again.”

“I always stated that I never knowingly breached World Anti-Doping Agency regulations when I took a nutritional supplement prescribed to me by a doctor, which does not affect or enhance the performance of male athletes.”

Star will find it difficult to get back into Juventus’ midfield

Despite the ban, Pogba is still technically a Juve player. The dynamic midfielder rejoined the Old Lady in the summer of 2022 as a free agent. He departed Manchester United to sign a four-year deal with the Italian side at the time. As a result, Pogba’s current contract at Juve is in place until 2026.

While the star may still have a contract with the club, Juve reportedly want to part ways with Pogba. According to Italian reports, the main issue in the situation comes down to money. The French international is one of the top earners at the club. In fact, Pogba rakes in around $11 million per year at Juve.

This salary has been drastically slashed while the player serves his ban. Nevertheless, Pogba would receive his full salary upon his return. This, in turn, would seemingly create a financial headache for Juve officials.

Money, however, is not the only problem in this particular issue. Along with being one of the team’s top earners, Pogba may find it hard to find ample playing time. New Juve manager Thiago Motta is already dealing with a fairly packed midfield. The coach also refused to comment on his suspended player on Saturday.

Manuel Locatelli, Nicolo Fagioli, and Weston McKennie have all looked solid to start the season. Juve also brought in fellow midfielders Douglas Luiz, Khephren Thuram, and Teun Koopmeiners this summer as well. The trio cost the club nearly $140 million in combined transfer fees.

Pogba may be heading to MLS in 2025

Other Italian news outlets claim that Pogba and Juve could agree to mutually terminate the player’s current contract. This may very well be the best-case scenario for both parties.

However, this potential plan would likely depend on Pogba receiving a somewhat similar contract offer at another club. If not, the midfielder could opt to remain with Juve to receive his full wages.

Assuming the star does depart the Serie A side, there is a growing feeling that he may join a Major League Soccer team. It remains to be seen which North American clubs want to sign Pogba, but the timeline works.

The midfielder can play official soccer matches around the same time as the start of the 2025 MLS season. While the league’s schedule for 2025 is not set, the current MLS campaign began in late February. As Pogba can return in March, a similar arrangement would seemingly suit the midfielder.

Photo credit: IMAGO / Marco Canoniero