French footballer Paul Pogba's brother 'likely to be charged' in extortion case

Mathias Pogba has admitted to being behind video promising 'great revelations' about the Juventus player

France national team player Paul Pogba, right, and his brother Mathias, left. The two have fallen out amid allegations of blackmail. AFP

The elder brother of Paul Pogba and four others are "likely to be charged" on Saturday over an attempt to extort millions of euros from the French football star, judicial sources have said.

They are then due to appear before a judge later in the day.

Mathias Pogba, 32, has admitted to being behind a video published online on August 27 promising "great revelations" about the Juventus player and French national team member.

The four others are all close to the Pogba brothers and aged between 27 and 36.

The five have been held in custody since Tuesday and Wednesday.

Paul Pogba filed a complaint with Turin prosecutors on July 16, saying he was the target of a plot to blackmail him for €13 million.

Sources close to the Pogba family said large sums of money were being demanded from Paul Pogba, amid threats of the release of allegedly compromising videos.

Paul Pogba told investigators that his blackmailers wanted to discredit him by claiming he asked a marabout (holy man) to cast a spell on Paris Saint-Germain and France star Kylian Mbappe, which Pogba denies.

French prosecutors launched an investigation on September 2. It is being handled jointly by the French police's anti-gang and central crime units.

Several people, including Pogba's mother, have already been interviewed by police, a judiciary source told AFP.

On the field, Pogba's hopes of playing for France at the World Cup in Qatar later this year hang in the balance after a knee injury.

He had surgery that was described as "successful" earlier this month.