Pranav Nair
Chelsea look to trump Manchester United in the race to land Adrien Rabiot
According to TuttoMercatoWeb (h/t The Express), Manchester United may have to contend with Chelsea in their efforts to sign Adrien Rabiot.
It was reported earlier that the Red Devils were keen on bringing the Frenchman to Old Trafford in the summer. The deal would have seen summer signing Donny van de Beek move the other way to Juventus.
It promises to be an interesting summer in Turin, with the Italian giants keen to rid themselves of both Rabiot and Aaron Ramsey. While the former is still in his prime, it can be argued that the latter, once a United target, is now past it.
The Frenchman is an experienced player and is at 26, entering his prime. He came through the ranks at PSG before going on to make a number of appearances for the French giants.
Before joining Juventus in 2019, he spent one season under Thomas Tuchel at PSG. The German, now in charge of Chelsea, is keen for a reunion at the Bridge.
It could lead to a straight confrontation between the two English giants for the Frenchman. Rabiot has arguably underperformed at Juventus and has a meagre four goals and three assists in 73 games. (h/t Transfermarkt)
No second chance?
Van de Beek has struggled for game time at United. However, he did come off the bench yesterday night and played a role in our comeback win at Old Trafford.
Whether this will see an upturn in fortunes regarding his stint at United remains to be seen.
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With a larger physical presence, Rabiot could potentially find it easier to cope with the nature of football in England. Something that Van de Beek hasn’t completely come to terms with.
