Bacary Sagna tips Arsenal to make stunning free transfer in January

Ex-Arsenal defender Bacary Sagna would love to see Paul Pogba join the club at the conclusion of his doping ban.

Pogba is nearing the end of an 18-month suspension after testing positive for banned substance DHEA in August 2023.

Paul Pogba remains under contract with Juventus but the Frenchman has been touted for a switch to ArsenalCredit: GettyThe Frenchman was given an initial four-year suspension which was recently cut to 18 months by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

The former Manchester United and Juventus star is now free to resume football duties in March 2025 and is already eyeing a return to the international scene ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

Pogba remains under contract with Juventus and is ready to fight for his place upon his return.

Read more on ArsenalHowever, Juventus has since revamped their project having offloaded many of the club’s big earners such as Federico Chiesa and Adrien Rabiot.

Pogba also fits into that mould and reports in Italy suggest Pogba could be the next star to be offloaded as part of new boss Thiago Motta’s revolution.

That could open the door for a return to the Premier League, more specifically Arsenal, and Sagna believes the north London club would provide the perfect landing spot for the midfielder.

“It would be great – he has experience; he loves to play with young players around him – that is when he is most efficient,” Sagna said.

“At the 2018 World Cup, that was when he was most efficient – he had friends around him.

“Arsenal have a young, fresh team, and I see him performing in an Arsenal shirt. He will get love from their fans.

“Now, he can start from scratch again. He’s had time away from football, and he’ll be back with a desire to get back into a good space and play football again.”

Pogba endured a mixed bag playing against Arsenal

Pogba left United in 2022 after a disappointing second spell at the clubCredit: GettyPogba spoke about the impact his ban had on him last week and took the opportunity to plead his innocence.

“I am not a cheater,” he told Sky Sports. “I accept responsibility of taking the supplement but I didn’t triple check it – even if it came from a professional.

“If I have to be punished, then I’m fine with it. But it should never have been four years. I will accept 12 months.

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“When you see me, you know me. People know me.

“So even when everything happened people said: ‘we know Paul, he would never take that. If he did, he wouldn’t have known and it won’t have been on purpose’.

“And this is totally the truth. I’m an honest person, I would say it.”

He continued: “I am not a cheater, I am someone that loves my sport. I love the game and I would never, ever. I like to win fairly and people know that.”