Arsenal remain interested in a move for Juventus midfielder Adrien Rabiot this summer, after trying to bring him in on loan in January, according to reports in Italy.

Calciomercato24 report that Arsenal contacted Veronique Rabiot, Adrien’s agent and mother, over a loan move in January. He even spoke to Mikel Arteta personally, but Juventus decided to keep him. The Gunners remain interested in a summer move.

Arguably, things are actually looking up for Rabiot and Juventus since January. From December 11th onwards, he had a run of games in the team, only missing one league fixture and the Supercoppa match against Lazio.

Whilst it was easy to see why Juventus might consider a loan in January, when he’d only made five Serie A starts for the season, it’s harder to make that argument now. He’s playing regularly and Arsenal can hardly afford to buy permanently.

It’s also notable that the Gunners didn’t push harder for Rabiot when he was available for free from PSG. The media linked Arsenal with him heavily all year, but in the end, he didn’t even seem to be a serious option.

So, Arsenal weren’t willing to invest a minimal signing-on fee on Rabiot last summer. Now, he isn’t having the most impressive year with Juventus, despite recent improvements.

Why would Arsenal suddenly part with a serious fee this summer, particularly in the current financial situation? Alternatively, why would Rabiot want to leave on loan right when he’s settling in? To me, the rumour just doesn’t make sense.