West Ham United and Manchester United made moves to sign free agent Adrien Rabiot, who is all set to join Marseille.
According to a report from L’Equipe, West Ham United and Manchester United were both keen on signing Adrien Rabiot as a free agent. Both clubs approached the French international regarding a move to the Premier League but they failed to strike a deal.
The former Juventus midfielder has decided to join Marseille instead. While he was keen on joining a European giant, both parties have reportedly made a great effort to get the deal over the line.
Rabiot came up the ranks at PSG and made a name for himself while playing for their first team before joining Juventus as a free agent in the summer of 2019. He did struggle to establish himself in their team. But once he got going, there was no stopping the 29-year-old.
The Frenchman became an integral part of their first team, and he even played a key role in France’s 2022 World Cup campaign, where they lost the final to Argentina. After five years with the Italian outfit, Rabiot decided against extending his stay and left the club at the start of July.
Premier League outfits tried to sign Rabiot
The free agent had been linked with quite a few top clubs. However, nothing concrete happened because of his lofty wage demands. Manchester United had emerged as a potential destination for the French international in recent weeks.
The Red Devils wanted more depth in the centre of the park following Casemiro’s struggle for form and the departure of Scott McTominay and Sofyan Amrabat. As per the report, they offered him a four-year contract. But even then that deal did not go through, which does seem to be a far-fetched claim.
The Hammers were also keen on his signature and tried to lure him to the club. Julen Lopetegui saw it as a massive opportunity to add a world-class star to his midfield. But, they could not convince him about a move to London.
In the end, Marseille advisor Medhi Benatia and their manager Roberto De Zerbi managed to convince him to return to France. They have reportedly offered him a two-year deal and he has agreed to put pen to paper on Sunday. Rabiot is expected to be in Provence today to complete the final formalities of the move.