Manchester United set to sign Adrien Rabiot from Juventus in £15m deal

Manchester United are poised to sign Adrien Rabiot from Juventus in a deal worth £15million.

The France international, 27, will ease United's concerns in midfield following the faltering pursuit of new manager Erik ten Hag's No 1 summer target, Frenkie de Jong.

Rabiot has fallen out of favour at Juventus and only has one year remaining on his contract, opening the door for United to sign him.

He joined the Italian club in 2019 on a free transfer following seven years with Paris Saint-Germain, after Rabiot, in conjunction with his mother and agent Veronique, decided his future was in better hands away from Paris.

But Rabiot struggled to live up to the early promise he showed at Juventus and his time in Turin has coincided with the club's monopoly on the Serie A title ending.

Ironically, midfielder Paul Pogba has just left Old Trafford to return to Juventus after failing to scale the heights in the Premier League.

United will acquire a talented midfielder but one who has a reputation within the game for being a tricky customer within dressing rooms.

This is in part due to the reputation that has been bestowed upon his mother, who has clashed with figures within the game during her son's career.

Veronique represents Rabiot and is said to have clashed with the star's teammates and sporting directors as well as having demanded to meet managers and attend training sessions to ensure her son was being treated and tended to in the right way.

She has previously demanded to go on a pre-season tour when her son signed his first pro forms at PSG while she was partly responsible for his dropping to the reserves at the same club over wage demands.

She would claim over that incident that her son was being held 'hostage' by the club and that amounted to him soon being in 'prison' being fed only 'bread and water'.

A move to Spain in 2018 didn't happen over wage demands.

Critics of United have said that the Rabiot move amounts to the club panicking as the transfer window enters its final stages.

The club lost their opening fixture of the 2022-23 campaign, and Erik ten Hag's first in charge, at home to Brighton.

Multiple fans called for a restructuring of the United midfield, with the club having pursued Frenkie de Jong all summer at the expense of other targets.

Rabiot is not thought to be an alternative to De Jong, with the club still hopeful they can land the Dutchman.