Paul Pogba Considers Leaving Juventus: Exploring New League Opportunities

French international Paul Pogba expressed his eagerness to get back to the game after his doping ban was recently shortened from four years to 18 months. "Football is like the delicious strawberry cake that was suddenly snatched away from me," Pogba shared in an interview with L'Equipe television from the iconic Parc des Princes Stadium in Paris. The talented midfielder, who is currently signed with Italian powerhouse Juventus until 2026, is set to make his return to competitive football on March 11th next year, just four days before he turns 32.

Capped 91 times for France, Pogba tested positive for testosterone in August 2023 after a match between Juventus and Udinese in Italy.

He was provisionally suspended in September of the same year, and then banned for four years by the Italian National Anti-Doping Tribunal the following February.

Pogba's representatives said the testosterone came from a food supplement prescribed by a doctor he consulted in the United States.

At the beginning of October, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) reduced this sanction to 18 months.

"The nightmare is over," said Pogba, adding he was "really looking forward to coming back".

Asked about a possible arrival in Ligue 1, Pogba, who has never played in the French league during his senior career, responded: "why not?"

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A key figure when France won the 2018 World Cup in Russia, Pogba collected four Serie A titles in his first stint at Juventus but had a string of problems, on and off the pitch, after his 2022 return from Manchester United.

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He was also the victim of an alleged organised extortion, for which six men, including his brother Mathias, were last month ordered to stand trial.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)