Manchester United are plotting a swoop to sign free agent Adrien Rabiot, as per the Dutch outlet Transfer Watch.
The Red Devils were very active in the recently concluded summer window as Matthijs de Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui and Leny Yoro have joined the club to reinforce the backline, while Joshua Zirkzee has been hired to bolster the frontline.
Moreover, Manuel Ugarte has been signed to strengthen the midfield department. However, it appears Erik ten Hag is still looking to sign a new midfielder and is now eyeing a free agent, given the window has already slammed shut.
Transfer Watch has stated that Man Utd are plotting a swoop to sign Rabiot and they could formalise their interest over the coming days. United hold a long-term interest in him as they tried to purchase him from Juventus a couple of years ago but a deal eventually didn’t come to fruition.
Following a disappointing campaign last term, Man Utd have endured a dire start to this season, losing two of the first three games and in all of those matches, it was apparent that United have issues in the engine room.
Rabiot to Man Utd
Casemiro is the most senior and experienced player in Man Utd’s midfield department but his continuous poor performances have become a real problem for Erik ten Hag’s side. He even made two poor mistakes yesterday against Liverpool and on both of those occasions, the Reds ended up finding the back of the net.
So, although Ugarte has joined the club and the onus will be on him to address Man Utd’s defensive problems, Ten Hag’s side could do with signing a new midfielder as Kobbie Mainoo and Toby Collyer the other two options the Dutch boss has at his disposal at the moment.
But, Mainoo is still very young and putting the pressure on his shoulder to drag United out of this rut could hamper his development, while Collyer is also very young and hasn’t made his full Premier League debut yet.
Christian Eriksen is still at the club but he seemingly doesn’t have the physicality to play in midfield in a high-intense league like the Premier League at this stage of his career.
So, Rabiot, valued at around £29m by Transfermarkt, could be a shrewd acquisition for the record Premier League champions if they eventually sign him for nothing over the coming days.
After leaving Juventus, he is currently available for free and hiring a player of his quality without spending anything on transfer fees would be an excellent business.