Chelsea

Chelsea

Premier League • England

Transfer leader named as Chelsea, Newcastle and Everton pursue Juventus man Adrien Rabiot

Juventus star Adrien Rabiot

A report has revealed which club is leading the race for Adrien Rabiot, with the Juventus player a target for Chelsea, Newcastle and Everton.

The central midfielder made 227 appearances for Paris Saint-Germain between 2012 and 2019. He won a host of trophies with the French club, including six Ligue 1 titles and the Coupe de France four times.

Rabiot left PSG three years ago, upon the expiry of his contract at the Parc des Princes. Juventus made the most of the situation by capturing the France international on a free transfer.

He has added to his trophy cabinet while in Turin. Juve have won a Serie A title, the Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana since Rabiot’s arrival.

However, Juve have fallen behind their domestic rivals this season. They finished fourth, 16 points behind Serie A winners AC Milan.

Inter and Napoli also finished above the Bianconeri, forcing Max Allegri to plan a summer overhaul.

And Rabiot is one of the players who could leave. His contract runs until 2023 and probably won’t be renewed, meaning Juve chiefs want him to depart this year.

Chelsea, Newcastle and Everton have all been keeping tabs on the 27-year-old’s situation in recent months.

Adrien Rabiot wanted at Stamford Bridge

Reports have suggested a type of swap deal could be struck involving Rabiot and Blues star Jorginho, although this is unlikely as things stand.

Italian source Tuttosport provide an update on Rabiot’s transfer links with the Premier League trio, and in particular Chelsea.

They claim Thomas Tuchel’s side are preparing an offer to land Rabiot. Should the deal go through, then it would give the player his first stint in the Premier League.

Chelsea are willing to pay between £12.8million and £17.1m, putting them in pole position for Rabiot.

They are just waiting for Todd Boehly’s takeover to be complete before submitting an offer to Juve.

This means Newcastle and Everton must up their game if they wish to beat Chelsea to the signing.

But clearly Chelsea represent the best option for Rabiot, given they will play in the Champions League next term.

Newcastle is now an attractive destination due to their wealth and recent 11th-placed finish. Plus, they will have hopes of getting into the top 10 during 2022-23.

Everton will likely be the lowest team on Rabiot’s radar, out of the trio at least. They only just avoided relegation to the Championship after a troublesome campaign.

Meanwhile, Chelsea are looking into the possibility of signing a Leicester defender – and it’s not Wesley Fofana.