Manchester United are reportedly set to go head-to-head with Barcelona for the signing of Juventus midfielder Adrien Rabiot in the summer.
According to a report from Italian outlet Tutto Juve, Manchester United could be set to rival La Liga heavyweights Barcelona for the signing of French midfielder Adrien Rabiot from Juventus in the upcoming transfer window.
Rabiot has been with Juventus since 2019, having joined from boyhood club Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer following the expiry of his contract. While he has been fairly regular in the starting XI in Turin, the 26-year-old has failed to make the kind of impact that was expected of him upon his arrival. Till date, he has racked up 78 appearances for the Bianconeri, contributing with four goals and three assists.
With Juventus looking at a major rebuild in the summer, there are expected to be a number of outgoings in the upcoming window, with Aaron Ramsey said to be one among those facing the axe. And, as per the aforementioned report, Rabiot is also likely to be sold by the club as they have been not convinced by his displays this season under manager Andrea Pirlo.
Despite making little impact this season at Juventus, Rabiot’s stock remains pretty high as the Frenchman is attracting interest from a host of top clubs across Europe including the likes of La Liga giants Barcelona, along with Manchester United.
Barcelona, as things stand, have a stacked midfield unit with Sergio Busquets, Frenkie de Jong along with Miralem Pjanic as well as breakout youngsters in Pedri and Ilaix Moriba. However, the Catalans must not lose sight of the fact that Busquets is not getting any younger while Pjanic, who arrived from Juventus last year has failed to settle in and become a regular.
In fact, recent reports have claimed that Barcelona are looking to offload the Bosnian by offering him to rivals Atletico Madrid. Such a move would open up a spot in the midfield department, which Rabiot can fill seamlessly. However, for that to come to fruition, the Blaugrana must stave off competition from Manchester United.
The Red Devils, much like Barcelona, have a well-stocked midfield department, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer being able to call upon Paul Pogba, Fred, Scott McTominay, Nemanja Matic and Donny van de Beek. However, Pogba is entering the final year of his contract with Manchester United and is yet to commit his future to the club while Matic is also entering the final phase of his career.
With van de Beek failing to establish a foothold in the Manchester United side in his first season in England, another quality midfield addition wouldn’t be unwarranted, explaining the club’s interest in Rabiot.
Barcelona, as per the report, would be looking to arrange another player-exchange deal similar to the one that saw them sign Pjanic last summer, with Arthur Melo going the other way. Manchester United are also working on a player-plus-cash arrangement and are reportedly ready to offer van de Beek as part of the deal to sign Rabiot.
It now remains to be seen who among Manchester United and Barcelona come out on top in the race to sign Rabiot of whether the Frenchman ends up moving to a different club altogether, with Everton and Tottenham also interested.