Benatia confirms Marseille interest in ex-Juventus star Pogba | OneFootball

Mehdi Benatia, a former Serie A star serving as Marseille’s sports director, confirms that the French club are considering signing Paul Pogba as a free agent next season.

Pogba terminated his contract with Juventus this past November and will return to action next month after a doping ban.

The Frenchman was initially suspended for four years, but CAS reduced the sanction to 18 months, meaning that the ex-Juventus and Manchester United midfielder can resume playing competitive football from next month.

Marseille have been linked with Pogba in recent months, and Benatia, an ex-Juventus and Roma defender, confirmed the club’s interest in an interview with L’Equipe.

Marseille confirm interest in ex-Juventus star Pogba

Paul Pogba EPA-EFE/FRIEDEMANN VOGEL

“He is a player, a man that both President Longoria and I admire,” said the former defender.

“We thought about him, we wanted to do it, but did it make sense to bring in a Pogba who was not yet in shape? The risk was to disrupt the balance of the team with a player who wouldn’t have been at his best by the end of the season. However, if the opportunity arises, we would be happy to have a player like Pogba who can help us in the next campaign.”

Pogba made 190 appearances for Juventus, scoring 34 goals. He returned for a second spell at the Allianz Stadium in 2022, completing a second free transfer from Manchester United, but only collected 12 appearances with the Bianconeri.

He won several trophies during his first spell in Turin: four Serie A titles, two Coppa Italia and two Supercoppa Italiana.