Chelsea have reportedly established contact with Juventus midfielder Adrien Rabiot, who is also on Manchester United’s radar.
According to Tuttosport, Chelsea have stepped up their interest in Juventus midfielder Adrien Rabiot and have established direct contact with the player through manager Thomas Tuchel to get the deal over the line. The French international is also being courted by their rivals, Manchester United.
Chelsea boss Tuchel has had a long-standing interest in Rabiot, and the Blues were eager to sign him this January as well. They wanted to cut short Saul Niguez’s year-long loan deal from Atletico Madrid, but the player chose to stay, which adversely affected their move for the Frenchman.
Saul is now set to return to Wanda Metropolitano after this month, which would leave the Blues needing a replacement. Tuchel wants the club to return to the market for Rabiot, who he managed at Paris Saint-Germain.
The midfielder is not expected to cost much with just a year remaining on his contract with the Bianconeri. The aforementioned report quotes a sum of €15 million could be enough to get the deal through, which shouldn’t be a problem for Chelsea.
Tuchel is reportedly keen to sign Rabiot this summer and has taken it upon him to get the deal through. The German tactician called the 27-year-old to ‘understand the situation’ as he wants to reunite with the midfielder at Stamford Bridge this summer.
But Rabiot is attracting interest from Chelsea’s direct rivals as well. Manchester United have reportedly stepped up their interest in the France international as they continue to look for midfield replacements to fill up for Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic. Frenkie de Jong remains their priority target, but Manchester United are seemingly looking at other options in the market, including Rabiot.
Apart from Chelsea and Manchester United, Arsenal are also said to be showing interest and are trying to convince Juventus for a swap deal involving Hector Bellerin and Rabiot. The Gunners are in the market for an all-round midfielder who can complement Thomas Partey in the centre of the park, although their recent signing of Fabio Vieira might see them drop out of the chase.
Nevertheless, with Tuchel said to have spoken directly with Rabiot, Chelsea’s interest in the Frenchman could be serious. And it will be interesting to see if it materialises into a formal approach in the coming weeks.
