Manchester United

Manchester United

Premier League • England

Man Utd blasted after agreeing Rabiot transfer; warned of ‘chaos and drama’ separate signing will bring

Juventus midfielder Adrien Rabiot

Man Utd have been warned the potential signings of Marko Arnautovic and Adrien Rabiot could have unintended consequences, and one outlet has claimed a deal has been agreed for the latter.

United’s transfer window has taken a left-field turn in recent days. Their pursuit of main target Frenkie de Jong remains ongoing, though still shows no signs of reaching a satisfactory conclusion.

Elsewhere, United have somewhat surprisingly bid for Bologna striker, Marko Arnautovic.

The ex-West Ham forward remains a high level operator after scoring 14 goals in 33 Serie A matches last term. However, at 33, he is far from a long-term solution for new boss Erik ten Hag.

Manchester United have seen a bid worth approximately £7.6m rejected, though per Sky Sports, are confident they’ll succeed  with an improved bid.

Sky cite their sources in Italy in the report, primarily the reliable Gianluca Di Marzio.

Rabiot deal agreed

Elsewhere, Sky’s English department now report a deal has been agreed to sign Adrien Rabiot from Juventus.

Work is still to be done regarding personal terms, though United and Juventus have reportedly found common ground on the clubs’ end.

The French midfielder, 27, would give Ten Hag a new option in the engine room. The Athletic reported earlier on Monday that Rabiot’s potential arrival does not necessarily mean their De Jong pursuit is over.

Responding to United’s developments in the market, European football expert, Kevin Hatchard, was left bemused and questioned the Red Devils’ business.

Hatchard claimed an arrival of Rabiot and exit of Pogba actually leaves United weaker. He also warned the “chaos and drama” Austrian firebrand Arnautovic would bring is far from a positive.

“What’s the plan here?”

“The intensity Adrien Rabiot plays with could rub off on other players [in a bad way]. But you need a bit of calm and structure at that club,” Hatchard told Sky’s Transfer Talk show.

“I know Erik ten Hag and Steve McClaren know Marko Arnautovic well, but he brings his own chaos and drama as well.

“You look at it, and think ‘what’s the plan here? What are they trying to achieve in the long-term. Rabiot is a good player and has qualities, but I’m not entirely convinced it’s a sure-fire success.

“If this is looked at as an exchange of Paul Pogba going one way and Rabiot heading the other, I would say Juventus have got the better deal.

“Pogba is a wonderful player who let himself down at various stages at United. But the club never really gave him the structure in which to thrive.

“We know he takes risks and needs the safety valve behind him. I don’t think we ever really saw the real Paul Pogba.”