With the summer transfer saga that has been Frenkie de jong and the three-way tug-of-war between Manchester United, Chelsea, and Barcelona for his services taking another unexpected turn today, perhaps it is no surprise that the Red Devils have begun to make strides in sounding out midfield alternatives.
Per reports from all major British news outlets, with the latest coming from The Guardian, United is said to be closing on a deal for 27-year-old French international midfielder Adrien Rabiot.
Chelsea still pushing for De Jong – increasing indications United cooling interest – but deal depends on midfielder being willing to leave Barca #cfc https://t.co/uSjcQTxAVe
— Jacob Steinberg (@JacobSteinberg) August 8, 2022
United are thought to be rapidly cooling their interest in De Jong, who seems adamant about staying at the Camp Nou but more amenable to a move to Stamford Bridge over Old Trafford, and as such, in the wake of a frustrating 2-1 defeat against Brighton on opening weekend for Erik ten Hag’s managerial home debut, the club may need boots in the door as soon as possible even if they are not ideal candidates.
The Red Devils have already agreed on a fee with Juventus said to be £15m for the former Paris Saint-Germain academy graduate, with Rabiot going into the final year of his contract and thus offering United an affordable alternative avenue.
It has been previously reported that Ten Hag was considering a move for SSC Napoli’s Fabián Ruiz as an ideal backup plan to De Jong in the summer, but the finances behind a move for Rabiot – with Juventus not standing in the way of a potential purchase – could see this deal get done quickly.
But the question to be asked is whether or not United should be trying to move for Rabiot at all after data revealed by Statman Dave showed that, even at just £15m, Rabiot would likely not be a prudent summer purchase.
Adrien Rabiot completed 2.49 progressive passes for Juventus last season, ranking him in the BOTTOM 12% of midfielders in Europe.
If I speak, I am in BIG trouble… 🫣🫣🫣 pic.twitter.com/cqR87EhAAl
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) August 8, 2022
Should United pull the trigger and bring Rabiot to Old Trafford, it would certainly go against the notion that the club would look to sign just anyone this summer, and in the wake of reported heavy interest in Austrian veteran Marko Arnautovic given United’s desperate need to also reinforce the forward line, the club may abandon its principles this summer in order to add depth to the senior squad; regardless of its quality.
