Rabiot to Barcelona: French midfielder Adrien Rabiot is reportedly ready to join Spanish giants FC Barcelona on a £9m/year contract.
Reports from Spain reveal that French midfielder, Adrien Rabiot, is reportedly all set to sign a £9 million annual contract with Barcelona before the end of the transfer window on 31st August next week.
Rabiot’s current suitors, Paris Saint-Germain, want the Frenchman to stay, but are more than £1.8 million away from matching Barcelona’s wage offers.
Mundo Deportivo reports that the Catalan giants are approaching Rabiot, who has recently refused to extend his contract that runs out in June next year.
The Spanish giants are putting the foot on the accelerator as the transfer deadline is approaching next week. Mundo Deportivo claims that Barcelona are offering PSG a fee of £45 million for the 23-year-old midfielder, who is also chased by Premier League sides Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur.
Barcelona are also reported to be unwilling to wait until next summer, when Rabiot will be available for free. This is because the club is vary of the fact that the 23-year-old will have a long list of potential suitors if he was to be available for free.
Nevertheless, there is a lot of uncertainty regarding Rabiot’s stay with the French giants after this transfer window ends. In August, PSG’s new boss Thomas Tuchel spoke to Canal+ that the 23-year-old is the one to choose:
“I cannot be sure that he stays. It is up to him. He knows, I hope he knows, that I love working with him. Adrien has great potential. He must improve to become a top player. It is up to Adrien to say if he wants to stay here.”
On the other hand, if the star midfielder chooses to travel to Spain, he will not have a better time to settle into Barcelona’s playing XI. The Blaugranas have a void in their midfield following the departure of club legend Andres Iniesta to Japan.
Iniesta’s departure also means that Barcelona will need a fresh and young talent to replace him in the most important part of the field.
Also read: Barcelona’s predicted starting XI vs Real Valladolid
On the other hand, Croatian star Ivan Rakitic’s future at the Camp Nou is also uncertain, with reports from Sport revealing that Rabiot’s PSG believe that the World Cup finalist is the missing piece of their midfield puzzle.
The 30-year-old will be the driving force for Thomas Tuchel’s PSG, and will have a good partnership with Italian superstar Marco Verratti in midfield.
On the other hand, Adrien Rabiot’s potential arrival at the Camp Nou will give Barcelona the freedom in the midfield, with the aggressive defensive nature of Arturo Vidal and Sergio Busquets.
