Paul Pogba has revealed that he seriously considered a stunning move to Manchester City when he left Manchester United in 2022. The French midfielder, who rejoined Juventus after his contract with United expired, admitted that City was a genuine option for him at the time.
After a disappointing second spell at Old Trafford, where Pogba failed to justify his then-record £89 million transfer fee, the midfielder was looking for a fresh start. Manchester City, led by Pep Guardiola, were on the lookout for a replacement for outgoing captain Fernandinho, and Pogba fit the bill. The Premier League champions were ready to offer Pogba a lucrative £300,000-a-week deal and compete with Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain for his signature.
However, despite the potential for a controversial switch from United to City, Pogba’s personal circumstances ultimately ruled out the move. He explained that the combination of a traumatic burglary at his Manchester home and an extortion case involving his brother, Mathias, made him want to leave the city entirely.
“Honestly, I had a lot of problems,” Pogba shared with the Daily Mail. “I had the burglary, I had [a] problem with the extortion. I had to leave Manchester. Let’s say it like this: if I didn’t have that (problems), maybe I would have been at City. But with an ‘if’ you can save the world because my head wasn’t about staying in Manchester.”
In March 2022, Pogba’s Manchester home was broken into while he and his wife were away at a match, though their children were asleep upstairs. The incident deeply affected the family, prompting them to seek a fresh start elsewhere, leading Pogba to return to Juventus rather than staying in Manchester.
While City missed out on signing Pogba, they may now consider themselves fortunate. The 31-year-old has struggled with injuries and off-field issues since rejoining Juventus, including a four-year ban for testing positive for elevated levels of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), a substance that can boost testosterone. That suspension has since been reduced to 18 months on appeal, allowing Pogba to return to the pitch in March.
As for his future, it’s uncertain whether Pogba will continue at Juventus, with ongoing discussions about the possibility of terminating his contract. “For now, I still have a contract with Juventus. We are talking to them, and we will see what happens,” Pogba stated. “My main focus is to get back on the field and training – be on the pitch with a ball with other players. I’ve been training on my own for a year. It’s lonely. I will be very happy to get back training.”
