Reigning La Liga champions Barcelona are reportedly set to sign French international Adrien Rabiot in the summer, when his contract with PSG runs out.
As per a report from Spanish outlet Don Balon, Barcelona are closing in on a deal to sign Paris Saint-Germain star Adrien Rabiot on a free transfer at the end of the season.
Rabiot has been on the books of Les Parisiens for five years now having made the move from Toulouse back in the summer of 2013. The midfielder has grown into an integral part of the team and has seen immense success during his time at Parc des Princes, winning four Ligue 1 titles, along with numerous domestic cup honours.
The 23-year-old has made 16 appearances for Thomas Tuchel’s side across all competitions in the 2018-19 campaign, scoring twice and setting up one more. However, he is in the final few months of his contract with the French champions and has made his intentions of leaving the club quite clear.
PSG are believed to be keen on retaining him at the club beyond the summer of 2019 and to that end, they have made attempts to get Rabiot to sign a new contract. However, the French international has rebuffed offers of a new deal, in order to secure a move away from Parc des Princes and will be free to negotiate with foreign clubs from January.
This development has led to serious interest in the midfielder’s services from several big clubs across Europe. Premier League sides Liverpool, Manchester City, Arsenal and Chelsea have all been monitoring the 23-year-old, while Serie A champions Juventus too have been credited with interest.
However, it is Barcelona that have been the most strongly linked with Rabiot. The Catalans were keen on landing him in the summer transfer window as well and having failed to do so, they are understood to be closing in on signing him on a free transfer at the end of the season.
Barcelona bolstered their midfield this past summer by bringing in Arturo Vidal and Arthur Melo. However, Vidal is into his thirties, along with Croatian international Ivan Rakitic and manager Ernesto Valverde seems to be set on building a new midfield partnership for the years ahead, that is likely to comprise of Rabiot, along with Arthur and Philippe Coutinho.
Reports in Spain have claimed that Barcelona’s director of football Eric Abidal recently flew to Paris in order to hold talks with the player and PSG over a Bosman move in the summer, when his contract runs out. And, the negotiations are believed to have gone down smoothly.
As things stand, Barcelona look to be way ahead of their competition in the race to sign Rabiot from PSG. And a free transfer to Camp Nou now seems inevitable for the six-time capped French international, once his contract with the French champions runs out at the end of the season.
