Man Utd chief flies out to complete Adrien Rabiot deal

Manchester United director John Murtough has flown out to Italy to try and thrash out personal terms with Adrien Rabiot ahead of a proposed £15m move from Juventus, according to the Telegraph via the Mirror.

United boss Erik ten Hag has been frustrated in his attempts to bring in another central midfielder this summer with the club struggling to get a big-money deal for Frenkie de Jong over the line.

The Dutch international has been widely touted as ten Hag’s first choice target but Man Utd are no closer to completing a move despite months of negotiations. To make matters worse, the Mirror says that Chelsea are now in the driving seat to sign de Jong should he opt to leave the Nou Camp this summer.

Manchester United are now on the verge of giving up their pursuit of the former Ajax star and moving on to alternatives, with Rabiot emerging as a serious target in recent weeks.

The Mirror claims that a deal worth around £15m has already been agreed with Juventus for the French international and United are now trying to thrash out personal terms.

However, that’s proven difficult as Rabiot’s agent, Veronique – who is also his mother – is a tough negotiator and the Mirror says that the players camp have made it clear they’ll only talk with Murtough and not any intermediary agents.

Tough task

The newspaper cites a report from the Telegraph that claims this stance has forced Murtough to fly out to Italy to try and thrash out personal terms with Rabiot and his mother.

According to the report, Rabiot is reluctant to join a club that isn’t in the Champions League so Murtough faces a tough task trying to persuade the midfielder to complete his proposed move to Old Trafford.

Man Utd hope they can convince the 27-year-old by reminding him they are still one of the biggest clubs in the world and he’ll be guaranteed regular first team football under ten Hag.

With the World Cup just around the corner, Rabiot could be tempted by the proposition of regular action to help him secure a place in Didier Deschamps’ France squad ahead of Qatar 2022.

It was clear for all to see during their defeat to Brighton on the opening weekend of the new season that Manchester United desperately need fresh blood in the middle of the park.

Fred and Scott McTominay were hugely disappointing once again, and with Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic departed, Man Utd have very little depth in midfield so ten Hag knows he needs to bring in at least one new addition this month.

READ: Man Utd to table offer for £50m star

Rabiot would be a solid signing and at £15m he wouldn’t break the bank, but the Frenchman isn’t at the same level as someone like de Jong so he wouldn’t be the marquee signing many fans are hoping for.