Adrien Rabiot
According to the Express, French midfielder Adrien Rabiot finds himself in the middle of a four-way transfer tussle among the elite clubs of Europe. Manchester City, Tottenham, Juventus and Barcelona are all keeping a close eye on the Paris Saint-Germain star, whose current contract is set to expire next summer (h/t The Express).
An earlier report by the Sun claimed that Liverpool were keen on landing the highly-rated midfielder but later withdrew their interest. Rabiot, who was left out of France’s World Cup squad, has refused to sign a new contract with his current club (h/t Express).
The 23-year-old started his career at PSG in 2012 and has made a total of 213 appearances for the club across all competitions, scoring 23 goals. He has played a part in each of PSG’s first five games in the Ligue 1 this season.
Manchester City boast of one the finest squads across Europe and the Sky Blues have adequate depth in all areas of the pitch. Pep Guardiola only resorted to signing Algerian winger Riyad Mahrez from Leicester City in the summer transfer window.
Despite boasting of plentiful resources, the central midfield is one area that should be a concern for the manager. In Ilkay Gundogan and Fernandinho, City have two top-notch central midfielders but they do not have too many other options. Gundogan is still young and has a long way but Fernandinho is already 33. Hence, Manchester City need to find a long-term successor for the Brazilian and they do not have too much time for it.
To that end, Rabiot could be the ideal man to replace the veteran in the heart of the midfield. A player characterized by technical brilliance, Rabiot is comfortable with the ball at his feet and has the ability to dictate the tempo of the game with his impressive range of passing. His vision to operate as a deep-lying playmaker makes him quite special. The Frenchman has shown the ability to find the attackers up front with perfect through balls from a deep position in the midfield.
Furthermore, Rabiot has the height and the awareness to play either as a central defensive midfielder or a box-to-box midfielder. A good reader of the game, the 23-year-old is adept at breaking the opponent’s play with crucial tackles and interceptions and can operate as a sweeper for the backline. He also helps the team in counter-attacking situations with surging runs forward.
Rabiot ticks all the boxes to fill in the central midfield role at Manchester City. Guardiola lacks a versatile central midfielder who can contribute equally on both ends of the pitch. But he could solve that by signing the Frenchman in January.
The Frenchman has shown the ability to link well with his teammates and has established a formidable partnership with Marco Verratti in the heart of PSG’s midfield. He should be the ideal man to complement Gundogan in City’s midfield.
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Given that Rabiot has less than a year remaining on his current contract, PSG are unlikely to slam a huge price tag as they run the risk of losing their star midfielder for virtually nothing next summer. Hence, City should take advantage of the situation and acquire the signature of one of Europe’s hottest talents.