Manchester United have already spent close to £100 million this transfer window which, while not all up front, is still the full cost to business for the summer.
It means that they will effectively be in a “sell to buy” mode for the rest of the window, as evidenced by the cooling down of interest in Matthijs de Ligt.
However, that strategy is contingent on actually finding good offers for their players and then buying with the knowledge that the selling club knows you’ve got money from the sale.
In the meantime, looking towards bargains that don’t dent the budget heavily would be smart. Enter Adrien Rabiot…
Adrian Rabiot development expected
As reported previously, Adrien Rabiot’s contract with Juventus expired on June 30th but the player and the club remained in negotiations for a renewal.
Juventus have tried their best to keep the Euro 2024 star who is in his peak years as a footballer at 29. Now, Fabrizio Romano has reported that a major development is expected on his future soon.
The transfer guru states that Juventus could announce Rabiot’s departure ‘”today” (July 18) after failing to agree on a deal. The Italians believe their last offer of €7 million was “very good” but Rabiot has made his mind up.
He has already started contact with other clubs and United might well be on the list considering their longstanding interest in him.
The Rabiot saga: Part III?
It all started in the summer of 2022 when United lurched from one midfield target to another as uncertainty reined over their chase of Frenkie de Jong.
At the time, wage demands reportedly scuppered the deal but United ended up getting Casemiro for nearly £60 million and £300/week, who was already two years older than Rabiot.
Fair to say, that decision, much like many under the Glazers, hasn’t aged well. Rabiot has kept his form as one of Juventus and France’s premier midfielders while Casemiro’s great first season gave way to a startling decline in the second. He’s up for sale now.
United were linked to Rabiot again last summer, but Juventus refused to play ball this time, betting on their ability to convince the Frenchman to sign a contract extension.
Now that neither has happened, could the third time be the charm for United? Ironically, he could end up replacing the guy he should have arrived instead of in the first place- Casemiro.
At 29, he can easily give United a good three years or so. Therefore, if a deal can be agreed on sensible terms, it would be a no-brainer to pursue Rabiot again.