Barcelona have reportedly held “exploratory talks” with Adrien Rabiot’s mother and agent Veronique over a possible summer move.
According to a report by Italian outlet Calciomercato, Barcelona could be a step closer to signing Adrien Rabiot from Juventus in the summer transfer window. The French midfielder’s mother and agent Veronique has opened talks with the Blaugrana to scour the possibility of a transfer.
Rabiot joined Juventus from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2019 on a Bosman move after having chosen not to renew terms with the French giants. The 26-year-old midfielder, though, has not really set the stage alight with his performances for the Bianconeri till date and has been in and out of the starting lineup.
While he has missed just three games when fit and available this season, Rabiot has started just 25 of the 42 games that Juventus have played this term. Having not managed to impress enough at the Allianz Stadium, the French international could be deemed surplus to requirements this summer, as Juventus look to raise funds to sign their priority summer targets. This has alerted Barcelona.
Barcelona are set to continue their squad overhaul in the summer transfer window, with Ronald Koeman being trusted even more to assemble a unit to his liking. To that end, the Blaugrana have been linked with Georginio Wijnaldum, although recent reports have claimed that he could well be staying put at Liverpool.
With there being no guarantees that Wijnaldum will arrive on a free transfer, Barcelona do need to keep their options open and scour the market for alternatives. To that end, Rabiot is a viable target who has been monitored in recent weeks by Barcelona, as they look to revamp their midfield.
Now, the first steps to seal a possible deal also seem to have been taken, with the player’s mother and agent holding more than one “exploratory” talk to understand the feasibility of a transfer. That Juventus will demand around €20 million for Rabiot is a bit of an obstacle for cash-strapped Barcelona, who wish to save funds to sign Erling Haaland, having recently held talks to sign him.
Having said that, there are suggestions that the deal could see the light of the day, as Juventus enjoy a fine working relationship with Barcelona. Meanwhile, apart from Barcelona, Everton and Chelsea are also interested in the French midfielder, and it will be interesting to see if the Catalans are open to shelling out €20 million to swoop him away instead.