Manchester United
Premier League • England
Second Man Utd attempt to sign six-time title winner runs aground, as familiar reason halts free agent swoop
Manchester United look to have fallen short for a second time in their attempts to sign Adrien Rabiot, with a report claiming a familiar reason is once again to blame.
Rabiot, 29, remains without a club after leaving Juventus on June 30 and entering the free agent market. The Frenchman – who won five league titles with PSG and a Serie A title with Juventus – has re-emerged on Man Utd’s radar.
The Red Devils made an attempt to sign Rabiot during Erik ten Hag’s first window in charge back in the summer of 2022.
Despite a club-to-club deal being agreed, the move fell through after Rabiot’s mother Veronique – who doubles up as Adrien’s agent – priced her son out of a move, according to the Sun.
However, Rabiot has remained a player of interest to Man Utd and his status as a free agent means a transfer fee no longer needs to be paid. What’s more, free agents can be signed and registered outside of the transfer window.
TEAMtalk transfer insider, Rudy Galetti, confirmed as recently as September 5 that Man Utd were weighing up a move.
That was followed by an update from Caught Offside who declared the Red Devils were ‘internally discussing’ a move for Rabiot.
However, a fresh report from Football Insider has claimed Man Utd’s swoop is crumbling due to the same issue that halted their chase in 2022.
FI stated ‘Man United are currently finding a free transfer swoop for Adrien Rabiot too expensive.’
Talks are reportedly ongoing between Man Utd and Rabiot’s camp, though at present, the player’s ‘demands remain too costly’ for the club.
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Rabiot may have to compromise
According to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, Rabiot has already rebuffed approaches from Turkish giant Galatasaray as well as from Saudi Arabia.
The midfielder reportedly hopes to continue his playing career in one of Europe’s top five leagues (Premier League, LaLiga, Serie A, Bundesliga, Ligue 1).
Caught Offside even suggested Rabiot’s preference in those five leagues is the Premier League, thus boosting Man Utd’s hopes.
But with Man Utd veering towards leaving negotiations, Rabiot is running out of viable options and may have to compromise.
Furthermore, Rabiot was recently left out of Didier Deschamps’ France squad for the Nations League clashes with Italy and Belgium.
Explaining the decision, Deschamps pointed to the fact Rabiot is somewhat embarrassingly still unattached. The longer he remains without a club side, the longer his international exile will continue.
“Adrien Rabiot has a somewhat embarrassing situation,” stated Deschamps (as quoted by Goal). “His contract was expiring and he was solicited by several teams but now he’s without a team and doesn’t train in a group.
“I hope he can quickly choose a club that can then bring him back to us.”
Rabiot miss a huge relief for Casemiro
Had Rabiot signed with Man Utd he’d have competed with Kobbie Mainoo and new recruit Manuel Ugarte for the two starting roles in central midfield.
Ugarte is expected to replace the struggling Casemiro in the starting eleven, though will still get his fair share of minutes when Ten Hag rests and rotates.
Had Rabiot been added to the mix as well, Casemiro’s outlook for regular minutes would have looked even bleaker.
Casemiro has been linked with making a last-gasp switch to Turkey where the transfer window remains open until Friday, September 13.
However, according to Fabrizio Romano, the 32-year-old is expected to remain in situ until next summer at the earliest.
If Man Utd do fail to sign Rabiot, the chances of Casemiro leaving before Friday will be virtually nil.
Timeline – How Rabiot pursuits unfolded and unravelled
August 2022 – As Rabiot enters the final year of his contract with Juventus, Manchester United begin working on a deal to sign him after realising new manager Erik ten Hag’s top target Frenkie de Jong may have been out of reach.
Within a couple of days, Man Utd reach an agreement with Juventus to buy Rabiot for an initial £15m and begin negotiating personal terms with the France international.
But the transfer soon stalls due to Rabiot and his camp seeking a wage rise if he was to move to Man Utd, whose offer of doubling his salary wasn’t even enough to convince him.
And to make matters worse, former Man Utd player Lou Macari draws attention by questioning Rabiot’s record live on MUTV.
Man Utd go on to sign Casemiro from Real Madrid instead.
June 2023 – After a much-improved season in which he scored 11 goals, Rabiot renews his contract with Juventus, but only for the 2023-24 season.
May 2024 – TEAMtalk reveals that Man Utd have made contact with Rabiot’s agent about picking him up on a free transfer.
July 2024 – Juventus confirm that Rabiot has left the club to become a free agent.
September 2024 – Eyeing the last piece of the puzzle after buying Manuel Ugarte from Rabiot’s former club Paris Saint-Germain while the transfer window was still open, Man Utd hold internal discussions about making a move for Rabiot, who remains without a club.
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