Juventus 'one step away from confirming Paul Pogba return'

French midfielder Paul Pogba is reportedly on the verge of signing a contract with Juventus.

The 29-year-old's deal with Manchester United will officially expire at the end of June, and his departure from the 20-time English champions this summer has already been confirmed.

A number of clubs have been credited with an interest in the France international, with Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City all said to be keen to sign him, but Juventus have recently emerged as the favourites for his signature.

According to Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano, Pogba's agent will meet with the Old Lady on Thursday to 'complete the negotiations for his comeback'.

Romano claims that only the 'final details' need to be agreed, with the World Cup winner set to undergo his medical with the Serie A giants at the start of July.

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The midfielder will allegedly earn a base salary of around £131,000 a week at Juventus, but the overall package could reportedly be worth in the region of €80m (£68.3m) with bonuses and his signing-on fee.

Pogba had his injury problems during the 2021-22 campaign but finished the season with one goal and nine assists in 27 appearances in all competitions.

The Frenchman has largely struggled to show his best form for the 20-time English champions since returning to the club in 2016, and he has been consistently linked with a move away in recent seasons.

Pogba initially left Man United on a free transfer in 2012 to join Juventus, spending four seasons with the Italian giants, making 178 appearances in all competitions, winning four Serie A titles and two Coppa Italia crowns.

The midfielder recently said that he wants to show the Red Devils that they have "made a mistake" letting him leave on a free transfer for the second time in his career.

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"My thought process is to show Manchester (United) that they made a mistake in waiting to give me a contract. And to show other clubs that they had made a mistake in not offering me a contract," Pogba said in his new documentary 'The Pogmentary' on Amazon Prime.

The former Le Havre youngster also recently spoke of the importance of 'feeling loved' at his next club, which is believed to have played a key role in him agreeing to return to Juventus.

"Everybody wants to feel loved, everyone needs that in your soul to feel appreciated. Everything you do even when you grow up, when you do a good thing you like to hear well done, nice, it's always been like that even adults we need that," he told Uninterrupted.

"It's always good to feel the work you do is appreciated that you're doing well that people are happy with yourself. I just want the best for me. I'm thinking, putting everything together, take my time, and I'm just looking for the best, I want to play football, be myself always, and enjoy what I do.

"I need to enjoy what I do because otherwise I cannot perform well. I don't want to be thinking negatively. We can be losing games, trophies but you have to be happy and enjoy yourself – that's what I'm looking for."

Pogba is believed to have rejected the chance to join Man City this summer in favour of returning to Juventus, who are likely to confirm his arrival at the start of July.