D.C. United owns the discovery rights for Paul Pogba and are therefore the only MLS team currently able to enter into negotiations with the 32-year-old free agent, but the midfielder is taking his time before choosing where he will play next and remains focused on joining a club in Europe, sources told ESPN.
Sources added that, while talks are not at an advanced stage, Pogba is aware of the situation and contact has been made between D.C. United general manager Ally Mackay and the former Manchester United star’s entourage.
Pogba has been without a club since his contract was terminated by Juventus last November.
While D.C. United have an advantage over other MLS teams, they are only one of several to have recently contacted Pogba. If another MLS team was to pursue Pogba, it would have to pay a fee to D.C. to acquire his discovery rights.
Sources told ESPN that he is interested by a future move to MLS, where his friends and former teammates such as Olivier Giroud and Hugo Lloris play for LAFC, but his priority remains a return to European football.
The 2018 World Cup winner believes he can still play at a Champions League level and that representing one of Europe’s top clubs will give him the best chance of being recalled to Didier Deschamps’ France squad in time to play in the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico, sources said.
He will consider all the offers coming from the European leagues as well as the ones from MLS, including D.C. United, who are currently 13th in the Eastern conference with only two wins in their first 10 games of the season under head coach Troy Lesesne.
Pogba was initially banned for four years after he tested positive for DHEA, a banned substance while playing for Juventus in August 2023. It was reduced to 18 months by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) after his appeal and it came to an end on March 11.
ESPN reported in March that the Parisian attracted plenty of interest, some more concrete than others, in January and February. Marseille and Fiorentina considered him strongly and some Spanish clubs looked at him as well. He also rejected approaches from teams in Brazil and Saudi Arabia.
According to sources, he has also spoken to David Beckham, the co-owner of Inter Miami, the club located in the city where Pogba has lived with his family since November. He had also spoken to other MLS teams before D.C. United pursued their interest, sources added.
His last game was on Sept. 3, 2023, for Juventus in which he played 29 minutes in a 2-0 win against Empoli. The last time he played a full 90 minutes was three years ago for Manchester United in a 3-2 win against Tottenham Hotspur.
He has been training on his own with a personal trainer for months and taking part in pickup matches in Miami.
