Arsene Wenger could have reportedly signed Adrien Rabiot back in 2014, back before he became a huge player for PSG.

The midfielder, who would have been 19 at the time, apparently caught the manager’s eye but PSG president, Nasser Al-Khelafi, wanted to keep him and therefore, Arsenal withdrew their interest. So says, Le Parisien, anyway.

Could this be true? The part about withdrawing interest because Wenger’s PSG pal asked him to nicely sounds about right.

However, even if it is, which is might not be, who’s to say Rabiot would have been as successful in north London? He was still only a teenager back then and you never know how a player will develop.

France's Adrien Rabiot celebrates at the end of the Under-21 2017 European Championship qualifier football match France vs Iceland, on September 6, 2016 at the Michel d'Ornano stadium, in Caen, northwestern France. (CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP/Getty Images)
France’s Adrien Rabiot celebrates at the end of the Under-21 2017 European Championship qualifier football match France vs Iceland, on September 6, 2016 at the Michel d’Ornano stadium, in Caen, northwestern France. (CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP/Getty Images)

It was years ago, so hardly worth dwelling on. Although we have been linked with the 21-year-old since, if the Ligue 1 club were reluctant to let him go back in 2014, I highly doubt they would be suddenly happy for him to leave now. Particularly with the funds they have available to encourage him to stay.