Arsenal in 'pole position' to sign BARGAIN Man Utd target

Cameron Smith

• 2 Aug 2024 06:30 BST
• 4 min read

Arsenal are currently in ‘pole position’ to sign former Juventus midfielder Adrien Rabiot, according to reports in Italy.

The France international is now a free agent after leaving the Old Lady upon the expiration of his contract at the end of June, and multiple top European clubs are interested in signing him.

Manchester United have been linked with a move for Rabiot for several seasons, but the Red Devils are trailing Arsenal in the race to sign him this summer, as per Gazzetta dello Sport.

READ MORE: Premier League summer transfers 2024 - All the Done Deals

The Italian outlet claims that Mikel Arteta’s side are one of three frontrunners in the race to sign Rabiot, along with LaLiga pair Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid.

Arsenal’s interest in Rabiot may come as a slight surprise given they are set to sign Real Sociedad midfielder Mikel Merino in a deal worth around €30 million.

However, the Gunners are close to selling Emile Smith Rowe to Fulham, while Thomas Partey’s future at the club remains uncertain.

READ MORE: Arsenal 'BREAK IN' for Osimhen

As a result, the north London outfit are reportedly eyeing a move for Rabiot as they look to challenge Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table once again.

Arsenal have already signed David Raya from Brentford and Riccardo Calafiori from Bologna so far this summer, and they remain interested in purchasing a new attacker.

Athletic Club’s Nico Williams was previously their priority target, while Victor Osimhen and Viktor Gyokeres have both been linked with the Gunners in recent days.

Man Utd to miss out on Adrien Rabiot?

Man Utd have been interested in signing Rabiot for the best part of three years, but they look set to miss out on the Frenchman this summer.

As things stand, Paris Saint-Germain star Manuel Ugarte is their first-choice midfield target and the Parisians’ imminent acquisition of Joao Neves could unlock a move for the Uruguayan.

In addition, we understand that Burnley’s Sander Berge is considered to be a cheaper alternative if Man Utd are unable to sign Ugarte.

Despite being out of contract, Rabiot still has an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €27.7m, so signing him on a free will be an absolute bargain.