Manchester United have a fee agreed with Juventus for French midfielder Adrien Rabiot, but have yet to confirm personal terms.
The Frenchman’s mother, Veronique, is negotiating his move and it remains to be seen whether the transfer comes to fruition.
United have not stepped back from their pursuit of their primary target Frenkie de Jong, but it has been reported that the club have now started looking at alternatives as a “fail-safe”.
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27-year-old Rabiot has entered the final year of his contract at Juventus. The Bianconeri have already pumped up their midfield with the recruitments of Manuel Locatelli, Denis Zakaria and lately, Paul Pogba.
Manchester Evening News have reported that Rabiot has always desired a move to the Premier League and United have been linked multiple times with the player since the Louis van Gaal era at Old Trafford.
Meanwhile, The Athletic’s David Ornstein has stated that, “United are working on a deal to sign Adrien Rabiot from Juventus.
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“They must decide if they proceed irrespective of ongoing De Jong pursuit or await the outcome of that before deciding. They would also need to agree personal terms with the former Paris Saint-Germain player, who is thought to be high among a number of candidates.”
Manchester United’s hierarchy feels Rabiot will be an interesting pick and will certainly be a natural upgrade over the likes of Scott McTominay and Fred, who have shown their limitations time and again, especially against Brighton and Hove Albion in their Premier League opening day defeat at Old Trafford.
Financially, this move wouldn’t cost United a lot, which makes it a viable option, also enabling them to continue their long standing approach of their primary target Frenkie de Jong.
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United were last linked with Rabiot in 2019 and were pretty close to making a move, but the failure to qualify for the UEFA Champions League that season ended their hopes of signing the versatile midfielder, who ended up joining Juventus on a free from PSG.
Elsewhere, United have reportedly submitted an €8m bid for Bologna and Austria striker Marko Arnautovic.
The 33-year-old spent last season at Bologna after his two year stint in the Chinese Super League with Shanghai Port.
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Arnautovic comes with Premier League pedigree, having featured for Stoke City and West Ham United in England’s top tier.
Manchester Evening News stated United’s rationale behind Arnautovic move as they believe that the club view the player as a pragmatic, short-term option to support the starting forwards and an ideal character for a dressing room still struggling for self-belief after last season.
The report adds Arnautovic could be an option for Ten Hag to help grind out results against teams playing a low-block.
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United have lost attacking players like Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingard, Juan Mata and Edinson Cavani and have signed no attacking replacements in return.
With the transfer market posing usual challenges to United, the report adds that a move for Arnautovic appeals to the hierarchy as a short-term solution.
Topics: Manchester United, Manchester United Transfer News & Rumours, Adrien Rabiot, Juventus, Erik Ten Hag
Mudeet Arora