Juventus are set to terminate Paul Pogba's contract after the player was hit with a four-year doping ban, it has been claimed.
On Thursday, it emerged that the Frenchman has been banned from football for four years for a doping offence.
According to Sky in Italy, Pogba will appeal against this decision to the Court of Arbitration of Sport.
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The France and Juventus midfielder was provisionally suspended in September after his initial sample showed DHEA was found in his system which can raise levels of testosterone - a hormone that increases the endurance of athletes.
The 30-year-old tested positive last August, following Juventus' game at Udinese on August 20. The France star did not play in the Serie A match but was on the bench.
The latest ruling could potentially see Pogba depart Juventus. In December, La Gazzetta dello Sport, via Football Italia, claimed Juventus will terminate the player's contract should the midfielder be officially banned for doping.
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SPORTbible have contacted Juventus for comment on the matter.
In October, it was claimed that Pogba would fight to clear his name after the positive test, while his agent Rafaela Pimenta insisted "Paul never wanted to break the rules".
Pogba also broke his silence hours after news of the ban went public.
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He said: “I have today been informed of the Tribunale Nazionale Antidoping's decision and believe that the verdict is incorrect.
“I am sad, shocked and heartbroken that everything I have built in my professional playing career has been taken away from me.
“When I am free of legal restrictions the full story will become clear, but I have never knowingly or deliberately taken any supplements that violate anti-doping regulations.
“As a professional athlete I would never do anything to enhance my performance by using banned substances and have never disrespected or cheated fellow athletes and supporters of any of the teams I have played for, or against.
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“As a consequence of the decision announced today I will appeal this before the Court of Arbitration for Sport.”
After his initial suspension, Pogba asked for counter-analysis to be made on his positive doping test. However those results also returned a positive result.
In December, anti-doping prosecutors in Italy requested a four-year ban following Pogba's positive doping test.
Such a ban can be reduced in cases where an athlete can prove the result was caused by contamination, it was not intentional, or they can provide "substantial assistance" to help investigators.
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Pogba became the most expensive footballer in the world when Manchester United signed him from Juventus for £89million, while two years later he won the World Cup with France.
However, he returned to Juventus in 2022 after an underwhelming spell at Old Trafford.
Topics: Juventus, Paul Pogba, Football, Manchester United
Chris Byfield