Paul Pogba next club odds as ban ends and midfielder can return to football

Paul Pogba is free to return to football as his doping ban ends on March 11 and he is being linked with a wide range of clubs.

The 31-year-old was originally banned for four years for a doping offence but after a successful appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) it was reduced to 18 months.

This saw him resume training in January and he is now eligible to play again from today.

The last time the Frenchman stepped onto a football pitch in a competitive game was on September 3, 2023 when he came off the bench for Juventus against Empoli.

Considered one of the best midfielders on the planet in his pomp, he is clearly not at his peak anymore, having not played for 18 months and turning 32 later this month.

However, he is a free agent and can join a club outside of the transfer window after his Juventus contract was terminated by mutual consent in November 2024.

Favourites to snap up the World Cup winner are Inter Miami, with Pogba dropping hints that a link-up with David Beckham’s MLS club is on the cards.

However, European clubs are also considered options for him, with Manchester United, Marseille and Fenerbahce all among the favourites to be his next club.

A move to the Saudi Pro League is a possibility, with Al Ittihad in the running, while Brazilian clubs Corinthians and Santos have also been touted as possible destinations.

Inter Miami remains the most likely move, though, after Pogba was pictured with Beckham last month in Florida.

He also posted a picture of himself looking at Port Miami with the caption: ‘Let’s see what’s coming…’

The hints have been strong as in January Pogba also posted pictures of himself in a ‘Beckham 7’ shirt.

Clearly it would not just be Beckham he would be linking up with in Miami, but the star-studded cast in Javier Mascherano’s squad, including Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets, Luis Suarez and Jordi Alba

In a statement posted in October last year when it was confirmed that his ban was reduced to 18 months, Pogba said: ‘Finally the nightmare is over. 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.

‘I play with integrity and, although I must accept that this is a strict liability offence, I want to place on record my thanks to the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s judges who heard my explanation.

‘This has been a hugely distressing period in my life because everything I have worked so hard for has been put on hold.’

Manchester United have been linked with signing Pogba for a third time in his career, but his compatriot and former Red Devils defender Mikael Silvestre has warned the club off a move.

‘No, I wouldn’t be tempted to sign Paul Pogba on a free transfer if I was Manchester United,’ Silvestre told yaysweepstakes.com. ‘I like Paul a lot but I wouldn’t because it’s going to be expensive and you don’t know physically how long it’s going to take him to get up match fitness.

‘Even though he’s been out of the game for 18 months, before his ban, he wasn’t really playing that much at Juventus. He’s had a couple of injuries. It’s too big of a risk (to sign Pogba). If you were signing him and he was in peak fitness, he had been playing regular football, with a perfect body and mind, then it would be a no brainer, but, after what he’s been through as well, it’s extremely difficult for him. I wouldn’t be in favour of Manchester United bringing him back to the club again.’