Chelsea have reportedly entered the fray for the signing of Juventus midfielder Adrien Rabiot, who is struggling for form under Massimiliano Allegri.
According to a report from Calciomercato, struggling Juventus midfielder Adrien Rabiot has emerged as a transfer target for reigning European champions Chelsea ahead of the January transfer window.
Rabiot is currently in his third full season with Juventus after joining them in the summer of 2019 on a free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain. However, the French international has been unable to get going in Turin, struggling to make the kind of impact that had clubs all across queuing up to sign him not so long ago.
Rabiot has managed six goals and five assists from his 95 appearances for the Bianconeri to date. While he has started eight Serie A games this season, manager Massimiliano Allegri has been critical of the 26-year-old on more than one occasion. He has also been demanding more offensive output from the ex-PSG ace, which has not been forthcoming.
With the situation not improving, Juventus are seriously considering the prospect of offloading Juventus, even though the player recently insisted that he would be remaining in Turin. There has been no shortage of suitors for Rabiot, with Newcastle United and Real Madrid showing great keenness to sign him up, while there have been reports of Arsenal wanting to land him as well.
Now, Chelsea have also thrown their hat in the rings for the signing of the 23-time capped French international in the January transfer window. The Blues have no shortage of options in the midfield department, with Thomas Tuchel being able to count on N’Golo Kante, Jorginho, Mateo Kovacic and on-loan star Saul Niguez. In addition, Ruben Loftus-Cheek has stepped up admirably this term as well.
However, the report states that Chelsea are eyeing Rabiot as a potential replacement for Saul, who has struggled at Stamford Bridge. It is noted that the midfielder could return to Atletico Madrid, even though such claims have been refuted by other media outlets in the recent past.
There have been speculations of Barcelona being interested in signing for Saul in January. Should they act on their interest, it could trigger a domino effect, leading to Rabiot potentially landing in west London. The fact that Tuchel knows the player well from his days as the PSG boss could work in favour of Chelsea, while it could also help the Frenchman get back to his best after a period of struggle in Turin.
However, it remains to be seen if there is any truth to these claims or whether they are attempts to drum up interest in Rabiot as Juventus look to cash in on him midway through the season.
