French international midfielder Adrien Rabiot’s future has long been up for discussion as despite having an offer on the table from Juventus, he ultimately allowed his existing deal to expire and at this moment in time, he is currently a free agent.
The main bone of contention appears to have been his wage demands, as he was reportedly holding out for a deal worth in the region of ten million Euros a season and that he also wanted a three year contract, but the Old Lady were unwilling to meet those demands in the offer they put on the table.
Although their offer remains live, and the speculation suggests that they still continue to be hopeful of getting him to sign a new contract, the 29 year old 47 capped French international is obviously garnering plenty of interest from other clubs.
Two clubs that the transfer window rumour mill has as hot favourites for his signature are Spanish La Liga giants Barcelona, and former English Premier League serial champions Manchester United.
It is claimed that Erik ten Hag is a huge admirer of the player, and now that his own future at Old Trafford seems more secure, he is very interested in bringing him in this summer to add to his options for next year.
If wage demands were the true issue at Juventus, The Red Devil’s with their Premier League riches will naturally be in a better position to meet those demands than many others, even fellow major, European clubs. His role at United is an interesting one, he would be a key player, but in many ways he is a player they do not actually need and his capture would not be the kind of one to really ignite the fans – despite his history at Paris Saint-Germain.
Fellow Serie A sides Inter Milan and AC Milan are said to have an interest in his services, but again those wage demands would likely rule them out, and that brings us nicely to Barca.
They have developed a knack in recent years for picking up talented free agents to bolster the Camp Nou squad, but at least so far this summer sporting director Deco has not gone in that direction. With claims from some sections of the media that his mother, and agent, has again offered him to the club, if he has a Barca dream his wage demands could still scupper a deal, as again Barcelona are not really desperate for a player like him, at that level of cost.
It could well be he ends up back at Juventus, as interest in football does not mean firm offers.
