(Football news) Manchester United have reached an agreement with Italian club Juventus for Adrian Rabiot but are yet to agree personal terms with the player. The 27 year old midfielder only has a year remaining on his existing contract and has been largely underwhelming for Juventus since his transfer from Paris Saint-Germain. The news was met with mixed reception from the fans as Rabiot has a reputation for being a disruptive presence and it also signified the lack of transfer strategy at Manchester United.

Having lost 2-1 to Brighton on the opening day, Manchester United are now desperately looking for reinforcements to salvage their season and have been linked to 33 year old striker Arnautovic and Rabiot since then. The Frenkie de Jong saga has seemed to reach a standstill with the player still reluctant to leave Barcelona despite both the clubs having an agreement for a transfer. Ten Hag has identified central midfield as an area that desperately needs strengthening and a move for both Rabiot and De Jong has not been ruled out.

Having been at the Manchester City academy for a brief spell, Rabiot made his name at Paris Saint-Germain, making 227 appearances, scoring 24 goals and winning five league titles. He left the French club for Juventus three years ago in controversial circumstances as he was frozen out by the club for not agreeing to a new contract. His mother, who is also his agent, said that he was leaving PSG to “buy his freedom”. Despite interest from Bayern Munich and Barcelona, Rabiot then joined Juventus but hasn’t made a big enough impact in Italy, starting 28 matches last season. 

Rabiot was also at the centre of controversy with the French national team after he was picked in the stand-by squad for the 2018 World Cup. However, the midfielder removed himself because he refused to be a backup. He was then included in the French squad for Euro 2020, playing three of the four matches before the team was knocked out by Switzerland. If he does join Manchester United, Rabiot is expected to play as a box-to-box midfielder behind Bruno Fernandes with Frenkie De Jong playing in a deeper role in an ideal scenario. It’s clear that Fred and McTominay aren’t a reliable duo for the season ahead. While Rabiot is undoubtedly an improvement on what Manchester United already have, but he might not be the “right” player Ten Hag has insisted that the club are looking for.

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