Paris Saint-Germain are working under the assumption that FC Barcelona are no longer planning to make an offer to Adrien Rabiot this month, according to reports.
Rabiot’s transfer to Barcelona was starting to seem like an inevitability this month after the club even released a statement confirming their interest in the midfielder. Though the official reason for the statement was to deny any wrongdoing in their pursuit of Rabiot, the La Liga club did admit to making contact with PSG on multiple occasions.
However, the move is starting to seem more and more likely to fall through at this stage. Barcelona signed Ajax midfielder Frenkie de Jong, and ESPN write that the ‘assumption in Paris now is that Barca will not make an offer’ for Rabiot this month. ESPN add that ‘the France international may well end up somewhere else entirely’.
There’s seemingly no hope of a new contract for Rabiot, and he’s been left out of the PSG squad entirely for the last three league games. With Barcelona stacked in midfield, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see another club swoop in.
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The French international was previously linked with a move to Arsenal, particularly with his former coach Unai Emery in charge. Over the summer, RMC reported that the Gunners and Barcelona were the two leading candidates in the race for the 23-year-old.
A defensive midfielder with a fantastic passing range and seven goals and nine assists since August 2017, Rabiot could add a lot to any team’s midfield. Plus, with his deal expiring in June, he wouldn’t cost Arsenal anything except wages, assuming The Gunners are willing to wait a few months. We’ll see.