Juventus initiate 5-man fire sale as Man Utd target Rabiot transfer stance clear

07 February 2023 , 13:11

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Juventus initiate 5-man fire sale as Man Utd target Rabiot transfer stance clear

Adrien Rabiot – who came close to joining Manchester United last year – is one of five first-team stars reportedly put up for sale by Juventus as they seek to cut costs.

The France international was in negotiations to move to Old Trafford this summer but the proposed move subsequently collapsed over the midfielder’s hefty wage demands, which United were unwilling to match. It came after the two clubs had agreed a fee – believed to be worth £15.2m.

United ultimately strengthened their midfield that window with the addition of Casemiro from Real Madrid, bolstering a squad who had already secured the addition of Christian Eriksen as a free agent following the expiration of his contract at Brentford.

The Red Devils have subsequently signed Marcel Sabitzer on loan from Bayern Munich after a last-minute transfer deadline day dash. The move for the Austrian – that does not include a purchase option – was a reaction to Eriksen's ankle injury which is set to rule him out for three months.

Rabiot may now be on the move away from Turin this summer as the club looks to slash costs, as reported by Gazzetta dello Sport and cited by Football Italia. That claims that Rabiot will be made available to other clubs alongside the quartet of Angel Di Maria, Alex Sandro, Leandro Paredes and Juan Cuadrado.

Marcel Sabitzer completes Man Utd transfer after last-minute deadline day dash

Paredes is on loan from Paris Saint-Germain and will return to the club this summer, with Juve prepared to pay a €2.5million penalty in order not to fulfil their option to buy the Argentine international for €22.6m. It is claimed the Bianconeri are hoping to cut costs by €70m (£62.5m) for next season.

Adrien Rabiot is one of five first-team stars Juventus are open to selling this summer (AFP via Getty Images)

Have Your Say! Should Man Utd attempt to sign Rabiot again this summer? Tell us what you think here.

France international Rabiot briefly spent time in Manchester City's academy as a youth star before returning to France to break into PSG's first team. He spoke during the World Cup about his hopes of one day playing senior football in the Premier League, following his links to United last year.

"It was very good experience," said Rabiot when asked about his time in England. "I didn’t do a whole season, though. Everything went well while I was there.

"I really liked the atmosphere. It’s really something that is only in England. It’s different from France and Italy. I have always said that I’d like to play in England in my career. I still have that desire. I’d like to evolve in the Premier League."

United are likely to invest in their midfield this summer with Sabitzer’s loan deal expiring while the futures of other players such as Scott McTominay thought to be unclear.

Colin Millar