Transfer Centre

Arsenal, Liverpool 'dealt blow in Adrien Rabiot pursuit'

By Ben Knapton, Senior Reporter | 04 March 2024

Juventus midfielder Adrien Rabiot reportedly prioritises extending his contract with the Old Lady amid Premier League interest from Arsenal and Liverpool.

Juventus midfielder Adrien Rabiot is reportedly prioritising contract talks with the Old Lady despite interest from the Premier League.

Speculation surrounding the France international's future has been prevalent for a couple of years, as Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag memorably tried and failed to bring him to Old Trafford in 2022.

The Red Devils were understood to have reached an agreement to sign Rabiot for around £15m that summer, but a transfer collapsed, allegedly due to the wage demands of the midfielder's mother and agent Veronique Rabiot.

The 65-year-old denied such claims, though, insisting that no real negotiations took place between the two clubs, as Rabiot quickly decided that he wanted to stay put in Turin.

In the wake of that transfer saga, Rabiot enjoyed a productive 2022-23 campaign with 11 goals and six assists from 48 matches in all tournaments, and he has struck four goals and three assists from 22 Serie A matches in 2023-24.

France's Adrien Rabiot pictured training on December 2, 2022 © Reuters

The former Paris Saint-Germain midfielder had his contract extended last summer, but his terms were only prolonged for an additional year, meaning that his Bianconeri deal will expire at the end of the season.

As a result, Rabiot is currently free to agree pre-contract terms with foreign clubs, and all of Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur are said to be keeping a close eye on the situation.

It was reported last month that Arsenal had made contact with the entourage of the midfielder, but Juventus are fighting tooth and nail to tie Rabiot down to a longer contract extension.

Now, Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano has responded to claims that Tottenham are also stepping up their interest in Rabiot, who wants to listen to Juve's proposals before making a final call on his future.

"People at Spurs are monitoring midfielders in general and Adrien Rabiot could be a big opportunity for many clubs," Romano told CaughtOffside for his latest transfer column.

Juventus' Bremer and Adrien Rabiot during the warm up on September 23, 2023 © Reuters

"Still, I'm not aware of concrete contacts between Tottenham and Rabiot for now. From what I heard, Rabiot will also give priority to talks with Juventus over a new deal before deciding his future."

Rabiot arrived at Juventus from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2019, although the Bianconeri did not pay a penny to sign the 28-year-old, who left the Parc des Princes after his contract expired.

Rabiot has now made 200 appearances for Massimiliano Allegri's side across all tournaments, registering 21 goals and 15 assists and winning one Serie A title, one Coppa Italia and one Supercoppa Italiana.

The France international missed Sunday's clash with Napoli due to a foot injury, though, as Allegri's men succumbed to a late Giacomo Raspadori effort in a 2-1 loss in Naples.

Defeat to the reigning Italian champions leaves Juventus 12 points behind runaway leaders Inter Milan - who also have a game in hand - at the top of the Serie A table.