Manchester United’s £19m move for Adrien Rabiot on the verge of COLLAPSE
Manchester United’s bid to sign Adrien Rabiot from Juventus was on the verge of collapse on Tuesday night over the France midfielder’s wage demands.
After agreeing a deal with Juve worth £15.2million rising to a possible £19m, United were hopeful of persuading Rabiot to move to Old Trafford.
However, the personal terms being demanded by the player’s agent and mother Veronique, a notoriously tough negotiator, have forced United to abandon talks.
Adrien Rabiot’s excessive wage demands are said to have got in the way of a Man United move
Sources say United’s offer would have made Rabiot one of their top earners.
They turned to the 27-year-old after accepting that Frenkie de Jong is unlikely to move to Old Trafford from Barcelona.
United manager Erik ten Hag has made signing a new defensive midfielder his priority and now faces a race to strengthen his squad before the September 1 deadline.
Veronique Rabiot, Adrien’s mother, has a fearsome reputation and it had been feared she could scupper a potential deal
United are weighing up their options and could move for Real Madrid’s Casemiro.
It has been a difficult transfer window for the club, not helped by the ongoing uncertainty over Cristiano Ronaldo’s future.
On Tuesday night, United insisted that Ronaldo is not for sale in the face of speculation the unsettled Portugal star could leave in the next two weeks.
New manager Erik ten Hag has struggled to attract the players he has wanted this summer
Senior figures at Old Trafford and Ten Hag are said to have softened their stance on keeping Ronaldo amid concerns the saga has contributed to United’s dreadful start to the season.
However, United are sticking to their official line that the 37-year-old will not be sold before the window closes.
Ronaldo missed the pre-season tour after demanding to leave, and the positive mood that was evident in Ten Hag’s squad on the trip to Bangkok and Australia has largely evaporated since the five-time Ballon d’Or winner returned to training.
United have lost their opening two games and are bottom of the Premier League table.
United endured one of their worst ever defeats on Saturday when they lost away at Brentford
