The midfield transfer saga currently taking hold at Manchester United this summer rages on, after reports from Italy state that the Red Devils have opened talks for 27-year-old French international midfielder Adrien Rabiot according to Gianluca Di Marzio.
Those reports are corroborated by The Telegraph’s Jason Burt, who reported earlier this evening that both United and Juventus have opened channels regarding the club’s interest in the former Paris Saint-Germain midfielder, though a deal is not expected to be concluded for a few days.
Juventus, should they expectedly part with Rabiot, will look to turn to PSG’s Leandro Paredes as his replacement in Turin, while United are expected to persist in securing a deal for a second midfielder before the transfer window slams shut, effectively replacing both Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matić after the central pair both left Old Trafford for Juve and AS Roma respectively.
Who the second midfielder is, no one knows, but United has already missed the window on SSC Napoli’s Fábian Ruiz after the Spanish international has agreed to terms with PSG on a move to the French capital.
But recent reports may have left a breadcrumb regarding the second midfielder as of two days ago, with United once again igniting interest in Serbian international and Lazio star Sergej Milinković-Savić in the club’s crosshairs.
The Spanish-born midfielder has been one of the leading lights on the blue half of Rome since his arrival from KRC Genk seven years ago, and would certainly offer a serious goalscoring threat to United’s midfield that even Pogba was unable to match.
A double raid on the Serie A for both Rabiot and Milinković-Savić would at least offer restitution in the center of the park as United can currently count on just Scott McTominay, Fred, and Donny van de Beek, with the McTominay-Fred duopoly under constant and justified criticism from all circles.
It may not be the move for Frenkie de Jong that many would have hoped for, but United must still seek to add depth - and some measure of quality - if they are to make a push for the top-four this season in the wake of their opening weekend loss to Brighton at Old Trafford.
