Pogba says he is talking to a club about comeback after ban (0.8878281622911695)

<img src="https://thesun.my/binrepository/400x267/0c21/400d225/none/11808/RDBK/files-fbl-ita-seriea-juventus-doping-pogba-182526-3456111-20230912080541_5347995_20250623080619.jpg"><p></p><p><b>FORMER </b>France midfielder Paul Pogba, who wants to resume his career after a doping ban, said on French television on Sunday he is “talking” with a club, which sources close to him said was Monaco.</p><p>The 32-year-old also said he had re-established contact with his brother Mathias, sentenced to a year in prison last December for his involvement in a plot to extort 13 million euros ($15 million) from the 2018 World Cup winner.</p><p>Pogba, who played for Manchester United and Juventus, is hoping to put three chaotic years behind him.</p><p>Pogba suffered through repeated injuries and patchy form that led to his departure from United in 2022. He returned for a second stint at Juventus, where his problems continued.</p><p>He failed a drugs test after a game in Italy in August 2023 and was handed a four-year doping ban, which was reduced 18 months on appeal. It ended in March.</p><p>“It was very, very hard,“ he said.</p><p>He said he was “talking” to a club, which multiple sources said was Ligue 1 Monaco.</p><p>Pogba said he was determined “to get back on the pitch, mentally ready, physically ready, it’s just a matter of time”.</p><p>The extortion case involving six men linked to Paul Pogba shocked France because the perpetrators included three childhood friends and his own brother.</p><p>The five other defendants were found guilty of extortion, kidnapping and detention, as well as participation in a criminal association, and sentenced to up to eight years in prison. All six were also fined.</p><p>Paul Pogba said he was talking to Mathias who is being allowed to serve his sentence wearing an electronic bracelet rather than behind bars.</p><p>“We are in contact. We’ve spoken, among ourselves, with the family,“ Paul Pogba said. “It’s a blood bond. There was a scar, of course. We’re moving forward. Only time can give us answers.”</p><p>“All we want is to always be united as a family. That’s the most important thing. It’s hard. Of course it’s very hard, I’m not going to lie. I was hurt. It’s not the same as before, but we’re in touch,“ he added.</p><p>Paul Pogba was held at gunpoint in 2022 by two hooded men who demanded money.</p><p>He said on Sunday that he was initially willing to pay but “afterwards, I cracked,“ he said, deciding “to speak out, even if it meant dying” and refusing “to throw away my money like that”.</p><p>He said the ban and the court case had changed him</p><p>“I learned a lot during this period,“ Pogba said. “I did a lot of cleaning around myself too. I am also much closer to my family, my children.”</p>