Manchester United’s £15m move for Adrien Rabiot ‘is OFF’

Manchester United’s dismal August continued with reports that the club’s pursuit of Adrien Rabiot has collapsed.

The club had chased Rabiot from Juventus following their defeat to Brighton on the opening weekend of the season and had been hopeful of completing a deal for the France international. 

However, the player’s excessive wage demands are believed to have got in the way of a deal and the move has collapsed, The Athletic reported. 

A renewal of discussions has not been ruled out, it is said, but the club are now exploring alternative options including Real Madrid’s Casemiro. 

The news leaves United in the lurch over where to move next to provide Erik ten Hag with a much needed new central midfielder. 

United had spent the majority of the summer chasing Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong, with the club still hopeful of securing a deal for the Dutchman, but had a realisation that the midfield needed bolstering after an alarming opening weekend performance at home to Brighton.

A move for De Jong is now described as ‘improbable’ by The Athletic but the outlet added that the club hope to still add a ‘top’ midfielder before the end of the window. 

Rabiot’s proposed move to United always had an air of uncertainty hanging over it with the Frenchman known to demand quite significant wages in conjunction with his mother, Veronique.

Indeed, it was his mother, reports suggest, that demanded the player be on more than United were willing to offer him. It has been reported that the club were willing to put him alongside some of their top earners including Bruno Fernandes and Christian Eriksen but that was not enough for Rabiot’s camp.