Paul Pogba Open to Manchester City Move as Free Agent, Despite Past Setbacks
Paul Pogba, the 31-year-old former Manchester United midfielder, has previously expressed openness to joining Manchester City amid ongoing transfer rumors linking him to the club. After mutually agreeing to terminate his contract with Juventus at the end of last month, Pogba will be a free agent from January, with the ability to sign for any club. The former France international will also be able to resume training in January, following a reduction of his four-year doping ban to 18 months by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. He is eligible to return to competitive play in March, which coincides with Rodri’s ongoing recovery from injury, although some reports suggest Rodri could return before the season ends.
According to The Independent, Manchester City is considering a move for Pogba as a potential solution to fill the void left by Rodri’s absence. Pep Guardiola, who has previously praised the World Cup winner, reportedly still admires Pogba’s talents.
However, a transfer would be a major surprise. Pogba discussed the possibility of joining City during an interview with the Mail in mid-October. The player revealed that after leaving United in the summer of 2022, he was offered the chance to join City, but he ultimately chose to return to Juventus. Pogba cited personal struggles, including a burglary and the extortion attempt involving his brother Mathias, as key factors in his decision to stay away from Manchester.
“Honestly, I had a lot of problems,” Pogba explained. “I had the burglary; I had a problem with the extortion. I had to leave Manchester.”
He added, “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. But it wasn’t a closed door because I left United for free.”
Amid these developments, rumors are also swirling about a potential Pogba return to Old Trafford. Former United striker Louis Saha commented, “I think the United squad lacks power in the midfield, and we’re missing a skilful player that can play box-to-box, so he would be a good addition because he’s a different profile of player to what United have.”
