Adrien Rabiot has confirmed that Manchester United are one of two clubs to have made contact with him as he ponders over his next move.
Rabiot’s future has been up in the air after he decided not to renew his contract with Paris Saint-Germain last season. It was a decision that led to him being suspended and never playing for the club again. A number of clubs have shown an interest in signing him since then, but only a few have shown a serious interest in snapping him up. Those clubs are, as confirmed by Rabiot, Juventus and Manchester United, who have both made contact with the midfielder in an attempt to persuade him to join them.
“I like Italy very much,” he told Corriere dello Sport (via football365).
“Staying here is wonderful, you can rest and recharge your batteries. A demanding season awaits me. Juve came looking for me and we talked, but I can’t say anything else.
“I still don’t know where I’ll go. They’re a great club, where every good player would like to play.
“The same applies to [United]. I still have to make a decision. I’m on holiday for now. You’ll know soon.”
United are determined to sign at least one midfielder this summer as they look for a replacement for the departed Ander Herrera. The Spaniard failed to agree terms over a new contract at Old Trafford and eventually decided to bid farewell after 5 years at the club. He looks set to go to PSG, the club Rabiot is leaving.
Juventus are United’s main competition for Rabiot, but it remains unclear as to how important a role he will play in Turin. The Serie A giants are stacked with plenty of talent in the midfield department. The likes of Miralem Pjanic, Rodrigo Bentacur, Sami Khedira, Blaise Matuidi, Emre Can already ooze class. However, they still decided to go after Aaron Ramsey and have snapped him up for free from Arsenal.
United though, are not nearly in the same position as their counterparts. The club have Nemanja Matic, Paul Pogba, Fred, Scott McTominay and Andreas Pereira as their main midfield options. Out of those, only Pogba has really shown glimpses of his quality. Matic seems past it while the others are still yet to live up to their potential.
The club are in need of some quality additions to compliment Pogba and hence, Rabiot would play a pivotal role if he were to join them. They are also supposedly closing in on Bruno Fernandes, another very talented midfielder who could be immense for years to come. It will be interesting to see where Rabiot decides to go after his holiday.