Adrien Rabiot came incredibly close to reuniting with Cristiano Ronaldo at Manchester United, but the Frenchman's wage demands have scuppered his Old Trafford switch.
United's transfer target is such a big fan of the Red Devils' wantaway number seven he actually joined Juventus in 2019 because Ronaldo was there. Rabiot made it clear to former side Paris Saint-Germain that he would not be extending his stay beyond that summer, which put plenty of other clubs on high alert.
The biggest sides across Europe's main divisions were all linked with Rabiot's signature - including United, but he only had eyes for Juventus and more specifically, Ronaldo. That is at least according to Itaian outlet Tuttosport, who claimed at the time a huge selling point for Rabiot was sharing a dressing room with the five-time Ballon d'Or winner.
Before he saw his switch from Paris to Turin completed, Rabiot discussed the imminent move and even addressed United's rumoured interest in the process. "I like Italy so much," he told Corriere dello Sport. "Being in this place is wonderful, you rest and you will regenerate. A demanding season awaits me.
"We are evaluating, we cannot say anything. I do not know yet. Juventus are a great club where every good player would want to go. Manchester United? It is the same. I have to decide, I'm on holiday for now."
As the record shows, he chose Juventus, where he'll now most likely spend the rest of this season after his team of representatives, speaheaded by his mother Veronique, failed to reach an agreement on personal terms with the United hierarchy despite their recent interest.
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The club have been in constant communication with Rabiot and the deal's collapse comes when it was already at such an advanged stage. United's football director John Murtough flew out to Turin to hold talks, while a transfer fee between the two clubs had been agreed since the beginning of this month.
There's every chance Juventus are just as annoyed as United considering they thought they would pocket £20million and are now likely to get nothing for his exit next summer, come the end of Rabiot's contract.
United will now have to devout the bulk of their time and resources into finding a new central midfielder before the window closes. Having bid farewell to the likes of Nemanja Matic and Paul Pogba earlier this summer, it is a position they must strengthen.
Real Madrid's Casemiro has been touted as a Rabiot alternative, though he is likely to command similarly high wages.
