Paul Pogba confirms Pep Guardiola snub as he opens up on failed Man City transfer
Paul Pogba gave consideration to joining Pep Guardiola's Manchester City in the summer of 2022 when he left Manchester United on a free transfer for Juventus
by Felix Keith · The MirrorPaul Pogba has admitted that he would have been open to making a sensational switch from Manchester United to rivals Manchester City two years ago.
Pogba left United in the summer of 2022 on a free transfer after his contract expired and ended up re-joining Juventus. He left Old Trafford without much fanfare after a disappointing six-year spell in which he failed to live up to his £89million price tag.
City looked into the possibility of signing Pogba as a free agent, with Pep Guardiola needing to replace departing captain Fernandinho. They would have been capable of paying Pogba’s £300,000-a-week wages and were ready to go up against Juve and Paris Saint-Germain for his signature.
The controversial move never went ahead, but not because Pogba felt a sense of loyalty to United. Instead, the midfielder opted not to join United’s rivals because of personal reasons, following a burglary at his house and a complicated extortion case involving his brother Mathias.
“Honestly, I had a lot of problems,” Pogba told the Daily Mail. “I had the burglary, I had [a] problem with the extortion. I had to leave Manchester. Let’s say it like this: if I didn’t have that (problems) maybe I would have been at City. But with an ‘if’ you can save the world because my head wasn’t about staying in Manchester. But it wasn’t a closed door because I left United for free.”
Pogba’s home in Manchester was ransacked by thieves in March 2022 when the Frenchman and his wife Zulay were out at a game but their young children were asleep upstairs. That incident left a mark on the couple and they wanted to join Juventus to get away from the trauma.
City will feel that they dodged a bullet by not signing Pogba, given what has happened since. The 31-year-old has barely kicked a ball for Juve since then, with injury problems followed by a four-year ban after testing positive for elevated levels of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), which can raise testosterone.
Pogba has since had that ban reduced to 18 months on appeal and will be able to return to playing in March. However, it remains to be seen whether that will happen at Juve, who are in talks with Pogba’s representatives over tearing up his contract.
“For now, I still have a contract with Juventus. We are talking to them and we will see what happens,” Pogba said. “My main focus is to get back on the field and training – be on the pitch with a ball with other players. I’ve been training on my own for a year. It’s lonely. I will be very happy to get back training.”
Join our new WhatsApp communityand receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
Sky Sports deal
Sky Sports launches 'lowest price' Premier League package
£43 (was £52)
Sky has slashed the price of its Sky Sports, Sky Stream, Sky TV and Netflix bundle in an unbeatable new deal that saves £216 and includes 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.
With Ultra HD included at no extra cost, football fans can enjoy the 2024/25 season with crystal clear picture quality.