Man City 'talk to Paul Pogba' as ex-Man Utd star's stance on free transfer emerges

Paul Pogba could be on his way to Manchester City as the Premier League champions look to put an end to their injury problems.

The former Manchester United player endured a nightmare spell with Juventus after leaving Old Trafford, initially picking up a lengthy injury before being handed a four-year ban for doping.

This was reduced to 18 months earlier this year, meaning he will be free to play again in March 2025, but Pogba left Juventus in November, meaning he is looking for a new club.

And rather surprisingly, City have emerged as a potential option, as the Blues look to strengthen their midfield options after an injury-plagued season.

According to The Independent, Pogba has been 'probed' by City, who has struggled with injuries throughout the campaign.

Guardiola is said to be an admirer of Pogba and has previously been tempted by the Frenchman, notably when the midfielder was due to leave United as a free agent in 2022.

Speaking to the Daily Mail earlier this year about his departure, he said: “Honestly, I had a lot of problems. I had the burglary, I had [a] problem with extortion.

“I had to leave Manchester. Let's put it like this: if I didn't have this [problems] maybe I would have been at City.

“But with an 'if' you can save the world because I didn't want to stay in Manchester. But it wasn't a closed door because I left United for free.”

But after a difficult spell in Turin, Pogba's opinion on a return to Manchester could have changed, especially if Guardiola can define a role for the dynamic star alongside him.

Pogba recently shared a cryptic hint about his future, taking to Instagram to share a story with a zipped mouth and winking face emoji.

Guardiola himself remained coy about the chances of City making any big signings in January amid the Catalan's worst form as Blues coach.

Speaking on Friday ahead of his Manchester Derby press conference: “No. What I want is my players back – the players we have. I want the team we had at the start of the season and who was desperately competing. That's the only regret I have is not having these players – no new ones.

“At the right time we will see. The transfer market has shown how expensive players are over the last four or five years. I'm sorry, we are not the best in these terms.”

He added: “If we need players we go to the transfer market but I don't know who is there. We have known it from the start but Rodri is a Ballon d'Or player. We are playing without the best player of the moment. England last season. That's the problem.

“It's difficult. As soon as he comes back, we will be strong again. We will be a good team. Sooner or later we will come back.”