Manchester City's audacious transfer bid falls through - turning out to be a blessing in disguise

As Pep Guardiola geared up his squad for the 2022/23 season with ambitions of winning the treble, he recognized the importance of making some key signings to bolster Manchester City's chances of achieving success on all fronts.

But while Erling Haaland, Manuel Akanji, Stefan Ortega and, err, Kalvin Phillips all arrived at the Etihad in the summer of 2022, it's a player they missed out on that could have impacted their winning season.

Manchester City were rejected by Paul Pogba

Speaking to Italian publication La Gazzetta dello Sport, Paul Pogba admitted that he rejected an offer from Manchester City in favour of returning to Juventus.

Available on a free transfer after his contract at Manchester United had expired, Pogba opted against staying in the Premier League as he preferred a move back to Serie A.

Things haven't gone as he would have expected in Italy, however. He initially had to wait until February 2023 to make his second debut for the Old Lady after injuring his meniscus in his knee, which later required surgery. This kept him out of the 2022 World Cup as a result, too.

Then, in March 2023, Juventus manager Max Allegri dropped him from the squad to face Freiburg in the Europa League due to disciplinary issues, before he suffered another injury just a week later that kept him out for the remainder of the season.

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He played just 161 minutes in total during the 2022/23 season. Manchester City, meanwhile, were lifting three trophies in quick succession.

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Pogba then received a four-year ban from football from the Italian Anti-Doping National Tribunal, though that has now been reduced to 18 months following an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. That means the Frenchman is allowed to return to training from January 2025, with his involvement in professional games admitted from March 2025.

The 31-year-old still has a contract with Juventus, and is "hungry" to return.

"He will be a new Pogba: hungrier, wiser and stronger," Pogba told La Gazzetta. "I have trained alone with the trainers this year and I am ready to return to normality in 2025. I only have one desire, to play football."