Paul Pogba has been ‘contacted by a sporting director over a possible departure from Juventus’ as the banned midfielder prepares to end his contract at the Italian giants.

The Frenchman swapped Manchester for Torino in 2022 after a difficult spell at United which saw him make 233 appearances and score 39 goals.

He joined the Red Devils in 2016 for a record fee of £89m but failed to live up to high expectations and fallouts with various managers meant his future was uncertain during the final three years of his time at the club.

A year after his move to Juventus, Pogba was hit with a doping ban after a doping test revealed increased testosterone levels in his system. This week the Court of Arbitration for Sport gave him a lifeline, reducing his time away from four years to just 18 months on appeal, meaning he can return in March.

While the Italian club wishes to terminate the star’s contract, Pogba is looking for a club to which to organize his return and Marseille has now expressed its interest, report La Provence and le10sport.

Paul Pogba was ‘contacted by Marseille sporting director about possible departure from Juventus’

The Frenchman swapped Manchester for Turin in 2022 after a difficult spell at United

He joined the Red Devils in 2016 for a club record fee of £89 million but failed to live up to high expectations.

The midfielder’s team has entered into preliminary discussions with representatives of the French side, including sporting director and former Juventus defender Medhi Benatia.

It appears that official negotiations have not yet started.

Marseille are not the only team investigating Pogba, with several MLS clubs believed to be close to a move should the France international become a free agent.

The 31-year-old’s career looked over after he was suspended for four years in February, but this week’s reprieve has given him a second chance.

The suspension, which began in September 2023, will now end next March, with the midfielder able to train from January.

In the final CAS judgment, it was confirmed that Pogba had inadvertently taken DHEA, a testosterone-boosting substance that is on WADA’s banned list.

But above all, the decision states that DHEA only has an effect on women.

Pogba’s appeal took place at the CAS headquarters in Switzerland at the end of August and the player was only recently informed of the verdict.

The French World Cup winner later released a statement celebrating the end of the “nightmare”.

He said: “Finally the nightmare is over.

The midfielder’s team has started preliminary discussions with representatives of the French team, including sporting director and former Juventus defender Medhi Benatia.

Marseille, Pogba’s potential new club, is managed by former Brighton boss Roberto de Zerbi.

They sparked controversy over the summer when they agreed a £30million deal to bring in Mason Greenwood from Manchester United.

“Following the decision of the Court of Arbitration for Sport, I can look forward to the day when I can realize my dreams again.”

Pogba’s potential new club Marseille is managed by former Brighton boss Roberto de Zerbi and sparked controversy this summer when he agreed a £30m deal to bring in Mason Greenwood from Manchester United after spending a season on loan at Getafe.

The attacker was arrested in January 2022 on allegations of attempted rape, assault and coercive behavior. The charges were later dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service following the “removal of key witnesses and the discovery of new evidence”.