Why Rabiot's Man Utd transfer demands "weren't crazy"
Karan Tejwani
- Updated: 23 May 2023 08:46 CDT
- 3 min read
Adrien Rabiot was linked with a move to Manchester United over the summer, but a transfer reportedly broke down due to the high demands by the player’s entourage.
It was reported that the player’s mother and agent, Veronique, was demanding a very high salary for her son, and the Red Devils were not happy to go ahead with the deal.
Who is Veronique Rabiot? The controversial mother of possible new Man Utd signing
Manchester United were in the market for a new midfielder, having lost their opening game of the season, and Juventus were happy to do business with them over the sale of Rabiot.
However, as a transfer looked close, the move quickly broke down, and United pursued other targets instead – namely, Real Madrid midfielder Casemiro.
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Demands were "exaggerated"
Manchester United fans and several pundits were glad to see the club walk away from such a move, and see the club opt to focus elsewhere.
Journalist Romeo Agresti, who has close ties to Juventus, has defended Rabiot and his mother, though, saying that many of the reports over the situation were inaccurate and that the player’s demands weren’t as high as often said.
“The demands weren’t crazy. It’s exaggerated. She was asking for less than certain players currently at Manchester United,” Agresti said to L’Equipe.
Rabiot is in the final year of his contract at Juventus and could leave the club at the end of the season on a free transfer, giving him the chance to explore other opportunities.
Casemiro and Antony
If the Glazers had it their way it would have been Rabiot and Arnautovic— Dan Coombs (@DanCFootball) August 29, 2022
The 27-year-old has frequently featured for Juventus this season, starting in three of their five Serie A games, but has the chance to look elsewhere come January.
Manchester United’s pursuit of a midfielder was one of the stories of the summer, having spent 17 weeks chasing – and failing to get – Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong.
They did sign Christian Eriksen and Casemiro to significantly boost their midfield but will need more bodies in the next few transfer window to complete that area of the pitch.
