Paul Pogba is formally in negotiations to escape his two-year football exile and land a high-profile move.
Is Paul Pogba likely to return to football anytime soon?
After a two-year exile, Paul Pogba is reportedly in negotiations to return to football.
When it was discovered that French midfielder Pogba had dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), a substance that stimulates the body to produce more hormones, including testosterone, in his system, he was banned from sport in 2023.
Pogba was first given a four-year punishment, but it was lowered to just 18 months following an appeal.
The 32-year-old may return to football after the ban was formally lifted in March of this year.
Pogba has been a free agent since his Juventus contract was canceled.
Despite being linked to clubs in Saudi Arabia, Europe, and the United States, nothing has come of it.
Major League Soccer team DC United reportedly expressed interest in signing the Frenchman on Monday night.
DC United “owns the discovery rights to free agent midfielder Paul Pogba,” according to The Athletic.
“A team source with knowledge of the arrangement has confirmed to The Athletic that D.C. United owns the discovery rights to free agent midfielder Paul Pogba,” the report said.
“The source, speaking on condition of anonymity, also confirmed that the club is in talks over a potential deal for the 32-year-old, who has been seen at several Major League Soccer games since last playing a professional game for Juventus shortly before he was suspended in September 2023.”
The report continued by saying that when The Athletic contacted DC United for comment, they did not reply.
“A club in the MLS can ‘obtain the rights to a player should he want to join the league’ through a Discovery List,” according to Sports Illustrated.
According to some reports, clubs must add players to their roster before verifying with the league office that they are not on the rosters of other teams.
The purpose of discovery rights is to prevent the MLS’s highest-spending clubs from outbidding one another.
According to reports, DC United is also considering Kevin De Bruyne, who is set to depart Manchester City at the end of the current campaign, in addition to Pogba.
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