Paul Pogba set for MLS transfer after Monaco nightmare

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Tom Weber | Writer

Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba remains unattached after his failed return to competitive football with Monaco.

The 33-year-old was officially axed by the Ligue 1 side in August after making just six appearances in 2025/26 following his comeback from a doping ban. Pogba had been suspended while at Juventus and was subsequently released.

Initially banned for four years, his punishment was commuted to 18 months. He could have already signed for a club in early 2025, but he waited until the summer while keeping himself fit in Miami.

His move to Monaco marked his first-ever stint in Ligue 1, but Monaco made sure to temper expectations. After 18 months of no competitive football, the 2018 World Cup winner was not expected to make an immediate impact.

And yet, when all was said and done in August, his time at the club was seen as a massive disappointment. His injury issues, which have plagued him for years, continued in the principality despite Monaco's meticulous individual training regimen.

Pogba on his way to MLS?

His release by Monaco was the death knell for his career at the top of the European game. Pogba is not expected to get another chance in a top league and will have to take his talents elsewhere.

According to the Daily Mail, Saudi Arabia is not a serious option for the Frenchman. Instead, he could belatedly be on his way to Major League Soccer, where DC United already held talks with him prior to his move to Monaco.

The capital club hold Pogba's Discovery Rights, which give them exclusive negotiating rights with the midfielder, at least in theory. In practice, the league's more attractive clubs - to which DC no longer belong - can easily flout the Discovery process.

The LA Galaxy got Marco Reus to reject his rights-holders Charlotte FC in 2024, before ironically being on the receiving end of a similar tactic earlier this year when Inter Miami beat them to the signing of Casemiro.

Miami were also linked with Pogba last year when he was training in the area, while New York City FC have also been touted as a possible destination. He was offered to MLS clubs in August, but the report emphasises that no concrete talks have as yet taken place.

If he is to move to MLS, Pogba will now only join in the offseason. Clubs can no longer make signings after Friday's roster freeze date, and it is doubtful that the veteran would have been of much help in the final weeks of the campaign anyway after being without a club for two months.

Because of his general situation, it is difficult to make predictions about where Pogba could end up and which roster designation he would have in MLS. He has the stature of a Designated Player, but can any well-run club justify making someone with his fitness record a DP in 2027?

The answer is quite clearly no. Even before his doping ban, Pogba showed very little to suggest that he was still anywhere near the player who once cost Man Utd a club-record €105 million.

His six appearances for Monaco last season only reinforced the belief that the risk of signing Pogba now is much greater than any potential reward.