Man Utd: £175k-a-week star 'available' to make Old Trafford move | OneFootball

Manchester United target Adrien Rabiot is a ‘realistic option’ for the club as they look to bolster their first-team squad, according to journalist Dean Jones.

The Red Devils are known to be in the market for midfield reinforcements and could swoop for the 27-year-old after becoming frustrated in their pursuit of Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong.

Laurie Whitwell of The Athletic has reported that United are ‘getting closer’ to concluding a deal for Rabiot with Juventus, and a ‘full agreement’ is expected to be reached imminently.

It’s believed that the Red Devils will pay the Old Lady €20 million (£16.8m) for the France international, who only had one year remaining on his £175,000-per-week contract.

Whitwell claims that Rabiot has been on United’s shortlist for the entirety of the summer an approach for him gained Erik ten Hag’s full support after being proposed by the club’s recruitment team.

Talks with Rabiot’s mother Veronique, who is his agent, are due to take place but his possible arrival is not thought to signal the end of United’s pursuit of for De Jong.

Due to the lengthy negotiations with Barca and the Netherlands international, Ten Hag is said to have simply sanctioned the signing of an alternative midfield target.

What has Jones said about Rabiot?

Jones has informed GiveMeSport that Rabiot has been ‘touted around’ Europe in recent months as Juve look to find a buyer and that United ‘know that he is available’.

He told GMS: “I mean, it’s just a realistic option. Rabiot has been touted around the Premier League for the whole of the summer.

“So, United would know that he is available. He’s been touted around the rest of Europe too, and I know Monaco had a look at signing Rabiot but didn’t progress yet. But Rabiot is there, and he is available.”

Would Rabiot be a good signing?

While Rabiot may boast an impressive CV having collected a plethora of trophies throughout his time with Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus, there are major doubts over his ability.

The 6 foot 2 ace has only registered 31 goals and 23 assists in his 369 senior club appearances and scarcely makes up for his lack of output in the other aspects of his game.

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As per FBref, Rabiot ranked in the 14th percentile for progressive passes, 29th for shot-creating actions, 62nd for dribbles completed, and the 74th for progressive carries amongst his positional peers over the last year.

Serie A expert James Horncastle recently stated that there are ‘few players quite as polarising and confounding’ as Rabiot, and he could be an unwelcomed distraction from Ten Hag’s United revolution.