Medhi Benatia expresses interest in bringing Paul Pogba to Marseille | OneFootball

Paul Pogba’s (31) future remains up in the air. The Frenchman’s four-year doping ban was reduced to just 18 months upon appeal at the end of 2024. It means that he has been allowed to train since the start of January, whilst he is also free to resume playing from the start of March.

However, will he make his return then? Options may be limited with many of Europe’s top leagues not allowing new players to be registered in between the end of the winter window and the end of the current season. That is the case in France. And it is a Ligue 1 club, Olympique de Marseille, that is showing a strong interest in signing Pogba.

However, should the France international want to join OM, he would have to wait until the summer. Speaking to L’Équipe, Les Phocéens’ sporting director Medhi Benatia revealed that Pogba’s signing was considered in January. Whilst that move didn’t come to fruition, he opened the door to a move in the summer.

“We thought about it (signing Pogba in January). We wanted to do it. The problem is, if we brought in Paul Pogba, who isn’t yet ‘fit’, does it make sense to shake up our balances […] for a player who won’t be able to participate in the end of the season? If something can be done, we will be delighted to welcome a player like Paul Pogba to give us a helping hand next year, if the opportunity presents itself,” he said.

GFFN | Luke Entwistle