Adrien Rabiot has rejected a second contract extension offer from Paris Saint-Germain, making it a very real possibility that he could leave on a free transfer next summer, according to reports.

Earlier in the summer, Arsenal were heavily linked with a move for the French midfielder. The usually reliable RMC Sport reported that Arsenal and Barcelona were the two clubs leading the race for Rabiot’s signature, if he decided not to extend his contract.

At the time negotiations were still ongoing, with another offer on the table for the 23-year-old, but now Paris United report he’s rejected it. PSG offered him €7.2m-a-year, plus bonuses, but Rabiot knows he has a €10m-a-year offer on the table from Barcelona.

The relationship between Rabiot’s representatives and PSG Sporting Director Antero Henrique is described as ‘rapidly deteriorating’ by GFFN, and it’s not hard to see why.

Club and player have been in negotiations for a very long time now, and PSG were even willing to meet Rabiot’s demand of a three-year deal, rather than something longer. Nonetheless, he rejected it, and time is now running out to find an agreement.

Arsenal couldn’t wait, with the early Premier League deadline, and went ahead with the midfield signings of Matteo Guendouzi and Lucas Torreira. If Rabiot’s contract issues continue though, you could certainly imagine Unai Emery would be keen on reuniting with his former player in the upcoming windows. We’ll see.