Pogba's Juventus contract terminated amid ban

Paul Pogba will leave Juventus after the Serie A club confirmed the termination of his contract by mutual consent on Friday.

Pogba's contract will officially end on Nov. 30, Juventus said, and he will then become a free agent.

"The club wishes Paul the very best for his professional future," the Turin side added in a statement.

The France international had his doping ban reduced from four years to 18 months by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in October, meaning he will be able to play football again in March, though it is not yet known where he will continue his career.

CAS judges cut Pogba's ban as they acknowledged a lack of intent and said his positive test was the result of erroneously taking a supplement prescribed to him by a medical doctor in Florida.

His contract with Juventus was set to run until June 2026.

"My time at Juventus has come to an end," Pogba said in his own statement. "It has been a privilege to pull on the shirt of the bianconeri and to share so many special moments together.

"I cherish the memories we made. They live on. Even in the most difficult moments over the past year, your support was crucial and I want to thank Juve fans around the world for their compassion. It has been a pleasure to have experienced so many great moments with my teammates over the years and I wish them every success in the future.

"I am looking forward to the next chapter of my career and to stepping out on the pitch with my next club."

Pogba, 31, has not played since Sept. 3, 2023, after he tested positive for DHEA -- a banned substance that raises levels of testosterone -- following Juventus' Serie A game against Udinese in August of that year.

Pogba told ESPN after the CAS judgement that he had considered retiring in the immediate aftermath of the initial four-year punishment.

He added that he wanted to prove he still has the talent to perform at the top level and stake his claim for a spot in Didier Deschamps' France team.

Pogba was the most expensive soccer player in history when he joined Manchester United from Juventus for a fee of €105 million ($113 million) in 2016.

He starred in France's World Cup triumph in 2018 and returned to Juventus as a free agent in 2022. But injuries limited him to just eight Serie A appearances in his second spell at the club before his ban last year.

Information from The Associated Press contributed to this report.