Manchester United are in advanced talks with a player they've been desperate to sign recently
(Image credit: Alamy)
Manchester United are closing in on the signing of a player they've previously failed to conclude a deal for on two previous occasions.
This summer has been relatively busy at Old Trafford so far, with plenty of outgoings and the arrivals of Leny Yoro and Joshua Zirkzee.
That looks set to continue as well, as Manchester United work to complete their third signing of the summer - at the third attempt.
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According to Caught Offside, Manchester United are currently in negotiations with French midfielder Adrien Rabiot, who is available on a free transfer after leaving Juventus at the end of June.
Manchester United have attempted to sign Rabiot on two separate occasions in the past: first in 2019, when he had let his PSG contract run down, and again in 2022, when he had just a year remaining on his deal at Juventus. On the first occasion, Rabiot snubbed the Red Devils in favour a move to the Old Lady, with the same outcome occurring again three years later.
The latest report, though, suggests that Manchester United will finally get their man, with the Premier League side leading the race for the 29-year-old's signature after holding positive talks.
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Rabiot is available for free (Image credit: Getty Images)
They do face competition from Liverpool, Aston Villa and Newcastle, so while Rabiot is available for free, he still won't come cheap. Indeed, he is expected to pocket a hefty signing-on fee, as well as wages worth between €8-9m.
In FourFourTwo's view, while the report certainly seems credible, it also feels completely against the transfer strategy Sir Jim Ratcliffe has tried to employ at Old Trafford in his first window.
Yes, Rabiot is available for free, and yes, he is a very good player, but more pressing positions are needed to be addressed and the Frenchman also hasn't been the easiest player to manage at times during his career.
Rabiot played for France at Euro 2024 (Image credit: Getty Images)
Ryan is a staff writer for FourFourTwo, joining the team full-time in October 2022. He first joined Future in December 2020, working across FourFourTwo, Golf Monthly, Rugby World and Advnture's websites, before eventually earning himself a position with FourFourTwo permanently. After graduating from Cardiff University with a degree in Journalism and Communications, Ryan earned a NCTJ qualification to further develop as a writer while a Trainee News Writer at Future.
