Report: Adrien Rabiot's Agent Meets with Barcelona, Man United Amid Exit Rumours
July 1, 2018
The agent for Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Adrien Rabiot has reportedly held meetings with Barcelona, Juventus, Manchester City and Manchester United regarding a possible transfer this summer.
According to Paris United (h/t Get French Football News) with his contract set to expire at the end of next season, the France international is considering his options.
It's added that Rabiot is said to be unhappy at his role in the team. Last season it's said he was promised he would be given more freedom in midfield, although often former manager Unai Emery opted to use the 23-year-old in a more defensive position, with Marco Verratti the man tasked with creating chances.
It's Verratti and Julian Draxler who new manager Thomas Tuchel is reportedly keen to build a midfield around in his debut season at the club.
As a result, according to the report, Rabiot's mother and agent have held talks with a number of high-profile clubs across Europe, including the four aforementioned ones. It's added the player wants to meet with Tuchel, having missed a scheduled appointment with the German coach last month.
The 23-year-old was snapped up by the PSG academy in 2010 and made his first-team debut in 2012. Since then, he's developed a reputation as one of the best young midfielders anywhere in European football.
As these figures illustrate, Rabiot is someone who uses the ball so well in central midfield:
There are other facets to his game that make Rabiot such a special talent, though, as he has a physical edge to match his panache.
When he is given license to move from his midfield position he can break a game open, as he eats up the ground when he dribbles into space and is nimble enough to hold off tackles that come from opposition players.
It's these types of surges and how effective they can be that Rabiot may want to utilise more often and why he is so intent on being handed more responsibility from an attacking perspective.
While he wasn't included in the France squad for the FIFA World Cup, journalist Kartik Krishnaiyer believes he would be able to make a positive difference:
Rabiot's omission from the 23-man group actually led to an unsavoury incident. As noted by Get French Football News, he wrote a letter to the French Football Federation saying he didn't want to be included in a list of seven reserves for the tournament, sparking criticism of the PSG man.
Even so, Rabiot is still young and still has a lot of developing to do as a person and a footballer. It's why it's not a shock to see so many huge names linked with a potential swoop for him.