MU transfer target's reason for rejecting them TWICE after talks speaks volumes

Adrien Rabiot shed light on being closely linked with a Manchester United move over several years, highlighting the reason he rejected the Red Devils despite holding positive discussions

Marseille star Adrien Rabiot has revealed how he twice rejected a Manchester United move despite holding progressive talks with the club. The midfielder, 30, cited the club’s fall from grace as the reason, saying “they’re in a bit of a hole”.

Rabiot made 31 appearances in his first campaign with Marseille this season. He helped them secure a spot in next season's Champions League by finishing a distant second in Ligue 1 to his former side, Paris Saint-Germain.

Yet, Rabiot’s career could have taken a very different path both last year and once previously. In an interview with The Athletic, he revealed details surrounding his positive discussions with United on two occasions before ultimately deciding against a move to Old Trafford.

The France international said: "It really could have happened two years ago, when I was coming to the end of my contract at Juventus and I finally decided to extend by a year.

"We had great talks, and there were written offers. But in the end, it didn’t happen. Last year as well, when I was free, they came back in again. I had good talks with them again.

"But it’s true that it was a bit tricky. The situation they’re in at the moment… I felt a bit of reticence about whether United were going to be able to go on and achieve great things. They’re in a bit of a hole at the moment."

Both of United's approaches to Rabiot came during Erik ten Hag’s tenure as manager.

The first time United reached out to the Frenchman, they had failed in pursuit of Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong the previous summer.

And last season, United were again in dire need of a central midfielder to play alongside Casemiro or Kobbie Mainoo. After being turned down by Rabiot, they shifted their focus to signing Manuel Ugarte instead.

The Red Devils forked out £42million on the Uruguayan, who had a mixed first season in the Premier League.

Rabiot’s arrival would have been made even more complicated by the appointment of Ruben Amorim last November after Ten Hag was sacked. Under Amorim, he would have had to become used to playing in an entirely new formation – Amorim's trademark 3-4-3.

The Marseille player would no doubt have been keeping a close eye on United’s dire state of affairs this season, where Amorim guided them to their worst ever Premier League finish down in 15th place.