Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba refuses to rule out a return to the Premier League when his doping ban comes to an end in March next year.
Paul Pogba has not closed the door on a potential return to the Premier League once he serves the remainder of his doping ban.
The French World Cup winner was initially banned for four years in February, putting his career under threat, as he would have been almost 35 by the time the suspension was over.
However, Pogba was given a reprieve when the ban was reduced to 18 months on appeal earlier this month, meaning he can return to training in January and to playing in March.
Pogba has only played 12 matches since returning to Juventus from Manchester United in the summer of 2022, and it is unlikely he will add to that total even when he is cleared to play again.
Pogba keeps Premier League door open
Pogba evidently does not fit into the plans of new Juventus manager Thiago Motta, who has overhauled the squad since arriving from Bologna over the summer.
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Federico Chiesa, Adrien Rabiot, Alex Sandro, Mattia De Sciglio and Filip Kostic were all told they could leave over the summer, as Motta looked to get rid of any player on high wages that were unlikely to improve in the future.
Fabrizio Romano also claims that Juventus are set to terminate his contract by mutual consent at the earliest possibility, in a deal that will likely suit both parties.
When asked about a potential return to the Premier League in an interview with Sky Sports News‘s Kaveh Solhekol, Pogba did not rule out that possibility.
“I will see with [Juventus] what they are thinking, my vision is to come back training and show that I am a football player, a new Paul Pogba but Paul Pogba with the same qualities and that I am still ready, that is all I’m thinking of,” he answered.
What options are open to Pogba?
While not explicitly revealing that he is interested in a move to any particular club, Pogba did appear to shut down the idea of joining two clubs in particular.
Pogba was reluctant at hinting towards a move back to Manchester United for a third spell, when the question was posed to him by Solhekol.
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The 31-year-old said the dream would be to play at big clubs, and after Solhekol responded by saying if he would play for Manchester United again, Pogba responded “No, no, you cannot twist the question.”
Speaking in a separate interview to the media in Italy, Pogba also revealed that there is one club he would never join, due to his loyalty to Juventus.
When questioned on whether he would move to AC Milan, Pogba instantly replied: “Impossible. Even if [Zlatan] Ibrahimovic calls me, he knows I won’t betray Juve.”
Throughout all of his media appearances, Pogba has remained adamant that his only focus is on returning to action for the Bianconeri, and taking it from there.