Liverpool 'make contact' with transfer target who was snubbed by Man Utd twice

Liverpool have made contact with former Manchester United transfer target Adrien Rabiot.

Rabiot, 29, sees his contract with Juventus expire at the end of this month, putting him on course to become a free agent. The French midfielder was close to joining United in the summer of 2022, with ex-transfer chief John Murtough even flying out to Turin in an attempt to carve out a contract agreement after striking a £15million deal with Juventus.

United pulled out of the move when Rabiot's extravagant wage demands were deemed too high, resulting in him staying at Juve. Previously, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is said to have pulled the plug on a potential move when the France international was still at Paris Saint-Gemain, as the former United boss had concerns over the player's attitude.

Now Liverpool could snap him up on a free transfer and make him new manager Arne Slot's first signing. Sportitalia report that alongside Real Madrid and several unnamed Premier League clubs, Liverpool have reached out to register their interest.

Juventus, under new boss Thiago Motta, still want to keep Rabiot but are running out of time to thrash out a new agreement as he stars for France at Euro 2024. Anfield chiefs will be pleased to learn that the 29-year-old grew up supporting the Reds and idolised Steven Gerrard - as well as a Real Madrid legend.

"I liked Liverpool so much because I was a fan of Steven Gerrard who made me dream and therefore I followed the Reds. My other idol was [Zinedine] Zidane," Rabiot revealed in 2023, speaking to Tuttosport.

The ex-PSG prospect almost found himself in a same contract situation last summer before agreeing a one-year extension. Ahead of playing the full 90 minutes and producing a strong performance from the left of midfield in France's 0-0 draw with the Netherlands on Friday, Rabiot remained tight-lipped on his future.

Asked about potentially reuniting with Motta, one of his former team-mates from his time at PSG, he replied: "He is an exceptional coach, who has done great things in Italy. I know him very well, I played with him for several years. "Juve made the right choice. He has the his career to continue, I have mine, so we'll see."