.jpg?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=3840&quality=60)
The Juventus midfielder was provisionally suspended from playing last month after a drugs test found elevated levels of testosterone in his system.
On Friday, the 30-year-old's failed drugs test, which came following a Serie A game against Udinese on August 20, was confirmed after his B sample also tested positive.
However, The Times reports that the France international, who could be banned for up to four years, was found to have a banned substance in his system - DHEA (Dehydroepiandrosterone) - that naturally boosts testosterone production, rather than testosterone itself.
DHEA is on the World Anti-Doping Agency's (WADA) prohibited list and carries a maximum of four years if the athlete took it deliberately to enhance their performance.
The report adds that despite this drug being classed as an anabolic androgenic steroid, one leading anti-doping lawyer, who was not named, claims there could be an explanation that leads to a reduced suspension because of its presence in supplements.
The Times says a spokesman for Pogba declined to comment on Friday but it is understood the former Manchester United man is planning to test every product he uses in a bid to identify the source of the DHEA.
In 2022, the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) announced that UFC fighter Bobby Green had received a six-month ban after testing positive for a DHEA.
The governing body gave him a reduced suspension due to Green's cooperation and the fact there was a small amount of performance enhancement.
The American, who accepted responsibility for his actions, said he had not realised that DHEA was banned after seeing a video on YouTube and and started taking the supplement after his wife bought it from a supermarket.
DHEA can legally be sold in the US as a dietary product and Green provided evidence to USADA that he bought it and ingested the banned substance as an over-the-counter supplement.
Pogba's return to Juventus has not gone to plan so far. After leaving United for the Italian giants in 2022, he picked up a string of serious injuries that has severely limited his game time at the Serie A club.