According to reports in Italy, Arsenal are looking to secure a swap deal involving their defender Hector Bellerin and Juventus midfielder Adrien Rabiot. The Gunners are looking to bolster their squad further and have identified the Frenchman as a potential reinforcement.

Arsenal have already completed the signings of Fabio Vieira, Marquinhos, Matt Turner and Gabriel Jesus. Nevertheless, manager Mikel Arteta wants to add another midfielder to his team ahead of the next season, given the Gunners would be competing in the Europa League and would require greater squad depth.

Meanwhile, Granit Xhaka and Mohamed Elneny are both entering their thirties. Although they still do have a few more years of top-flight football left in them, but it is difficult to say if they are good enough to start all the games in the 2022/23 season.

Adrien Rabiot completed three years at the Allianz Stadium, having joined Juventus in 2019. The former Paris Saint-Germain star managed to seal a place in the first-team at the Italian club, making 45 appearances last term (stats via transfermarkt).

The Frenchman has entered the last 12 months of his contract with the Turin based club and therefore, they want to sell the midfielder in this window to avoid losing him for free next summer. Moreover, The Telegraph reported that the player is looking to leave Serie A side this summer and join a Premier League club.

According to Italian outlet CalcioMercatoWeb (via Mirror), Arsenal are eyeing Juventus midfielder Adrien Rabiot in a swap deal, which will involve Hector Bellerin going in the opposite direction to Turin. The Spanish full-back has only one year left in his current contract with the Gunners and wants to move away from the Emirates.

Reports of a Hector Bellerin and Adrien Rabiot swap deal have emerged! 🤝

"How many years have we been linked with Rabiot?!" 🤯#Rabiot #Tielemans #Arsenal #AFC pic.twitter.com/ZrWIDQovfr

— AFTV (@AFTVMedia) June 23, 2022

The 27-year-old is most suited to playing as a deep-lying playmaker, responsible for progressing play through the final-thirds. He favours taking up positions in the inside channel which helps him to provide a link between the central defenders and the wide players.

Player Profile

Adrien Rabiot, who is known for his great passing ability, for his ability to win the ball back and launch counter-attacks, will certainly resonate with the Gunners faithful as they love their players who give their 100% and always try to play football the way it’s meant to be played. His ability to protect the ball while under pressure is a particular strength.

The French midfielder uses his arms and core to resist opponents while he creates an opportunity to pass, and that physicality often masks the extent to which his technique can suffer while under pressure. His occasionally poor body positioning and awareness make him lose the ball cheaply at times. But his defensive qualities help him in his deeper role.

Rabiot’s strength makes him capable of outmuscling opponents off the ball and dispossessing them. His physicality helps him to disrupt the opponent’s attempts to attack or progress play. He is similarly effective when pressing as he is adept at regularly detecting the angle required to prevent forward runs or passes of the opponents, or at reducing the spaces that the opposition could otherwise use.

The 27-year-old is more of a calm and composed player when compared to Xhaka. Rabiot is not a player who makes the run into the opposition boxes to score the goals. It is quite clear that Manchester United need him a lot more than the other clubs who are fighting for his signature.

The Juventus midfielder also brings with him a lot of unwanted qualities. His attitude has come into question on numerous occasions in the past and has seen him get suspended from PSG and Juventus. Arsenal are in need of some quality additions to complement Thomas Partey, and Adrien Rabiot would play a pivotal role if he were to join them.

Read More:

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• Arsenal and Newcastle United Lead Race for €55m Rated Serie A Midfielder Available at a Cut-price Fee
• Highly Rated Arsenal Defender’s Proposed Move to Championship Side has Broken Down

Verdict

Chelsea, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United and Manchester United are all interested in Adrien Rabiot. The Frenchman has made it clear that he intends to quit the Serie A this summer and Juventus have agreed to his request. The player will be available for a sum of around €15-20 million.

Rabiot wants to join a Premier League club that has qualified for the Champions League but official negotiations are yet to take place. Meanwhile, the North London side are also considering other midfield options such as Napoli’s Fabian Ruiz and Youri Tielemans of Leicester City, but they seem to have cooled their interest in the Belgian.

Adrien Rabiot will get into the Arsenal starting eleven immediately as he can play as both central and defensive midfielder and has proven to be a reliable performer in the past. The fact that the Gunners will only be participating in the Europa League next season though gives the player leverage to negotiate a better deal from the club.

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