Exclusive: Liverpool target wants to complete four-year Man Utd transfer mission as wage demands revealed

TEAMTALK can reveal Liverpool and Chelsea target Adrien Rabiot has his sights set on joining Manchester United amid his hefty wage demands coming to light.

France international Rabiot is currently a free agent after running down his contract at Juventus, following five years with the Italian giants.

Together, they won the Serie A, two Coppa Italias, and the Supercoppa Italiana, with the Frenchman racking up 212 appearances and scoring 22 goals in the process.

Despite their efforts to extend the 29-year-old’s stay with the Old Lady, the midfielder is looking for a new challenge – and a move to Old Trafford is his ultimate goal.

Had things gone a bit differently, however, Rabiot could already be a United player. The 6ft 4in Rabiot was close to signing for the Red Devils, only for then-manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to halt the move in 2020.

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United tried and failed to lure him to the Premier League in 2022 but a move collapsed amid reports of excessive wage demands – prompting manager Erik ten Hag to sign Casemiro from Real Madrid instead.

Despite that, there appears to be no resentment from Rabiot towards United, according to his mother and agent Veronique Rabiot.

Last November, she said: “We are on excellent terms with Manchester United.”

In early July, when he was representing France at Euro 2024, Rabiot gave little away over his future.

“The renewal with Juve? I don’t know what will happen but I don’t feel like talking about this. Say something to the fans? I think they’ve understood that I’m focused on the European Championship with my national team and that we’ll see what happens after that,” he said.

“My focus is 100% here, then obviously I’m always in contact with the club. If I’m not under contract, I’m no longer a Juventus player.”

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Rabiot demands become clear

Now, TEAMtalk sources can confirm Rabiot has not yet decided on his future and is still looking for a lucrative contract – one that is likely to be his last significant one as a top player.

The former Paris Saint-Germain ace, who left the French side for Juventus in 2019 after 227 appearances and a whopping 18 trophies won, rejected the Italian team’s three-year contract offer at the same wage (£5.9m).

Since then, Chelsea, Liverpool, and United have enquired further about the ex-Toulouse loanee, but Rabiot wants to wait and continue negotiations with Ten Hag’s men.

Our sources understand he wants to be on wages akin to Casemiro’s, with the Brazilian reportedly earning £10.5m a year – which is more in line with the salaries of Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho.

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Despite European interest from PSG and Galatasaray, Rabiot would prefer a Premier League move as no team outside of England is willing to offer more than £6.7m-£7.5m in yearly wages.

Moreover, in the coming days, Rabiot – who is understood to have been sent a contract offer by Liverpool – will make his final decision and United are firmly in pole position to land his signature.

Amid concerns over profit and sustainability rule breaches, with United likely to have to sell before they can strengthen their squad, signing a free agent in Rabiot may be a shrewd move.