Manchester United have reached an agreement in principle to sign Juventus midfielder Adrien Rabiot.
Erik ten Hag is hoping for an active week in the transfer market after watching his new charges fall to a 2-1 opening day defeat to Brighton. After a mostly positive pre-season, which saw Ten hag begin to implement his changes, the Dutchman was given a crystal clear display of the scale of task he has on his hands.
A first-half brace from Pascal Gross put the Seagulls in control and despite the introduction of Cristiano Ronaldo, United were able to complete a comeback. It’s the worst possible start for the new boss, who is hoping to quickly lift the malaise around the 13-time Premier League champions.
And with the boos still echoing in the Manchester sky, reports of swift and decisive action have now emerged. Marko Arnautovic is believed to be one target and have already seen a bid of £7.6million turned down for the Austrian.
That would give Ten Hag another option going forward, but wouldn’t solve the biggest problem within his squad, which is in the centre of midfield. Even before the Brighton dismantling, there was a clear need for a new midfielder, having seen Paul Pogba, Nemanja Matic and Juan Mata all leave on a free.
Frenkie de Jong has been the top target for Ten Hag for the entire summer, but there is growing frustration regarding Barcelona ’s stubborn approach to negotiations. That’s where Rabiot comes in with the Juventus star on their list of alternatives, with United bosses hoping to thrash out a deal.
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The 27-year-old is into the final year of his deal with the Italian giants and could be a more affordable option than the mooted £71.5m it would take to sign De Jong. The Manchester Evening News. report that a fee has now been agreed with Juventus, with finer details set to be ironed out with the player's agent, his mother, Veronique.
Additionally, Turin news outlet JuveDipendenza suggest Scott McTominay could go the other way, with the Bianconeri earmarking him as a potential replacement for the injured Pogba. Juve boss Massimiliano Allegri is set to be a huge fan of the Scotland international’s tactical discipline, despite coming in for flack for his showing vs Brighton.
McTominay started at the base of United’s midfield, alongside his familiar partner Fred, but neither managed to win their respective battles. In the first half, along with Bruno Fernandes, the United midfield surrendered position 25 times, with McTominay finishing with a pass success rate of just 67 per cent.
United legend Paul Scholes lashed out at his display in the post-match autopsy, labelling some of his decision making as “criminal”. “McTominay was always trying to run with the ball, ridiculous. The quality in the middle of the pitch was really poor.
“With Fred and McTominay, he [Ten Hag] is going to have to go with just one of them but even one of them is probably too many.
"Fred gives the ball away all the time and McTominay is trying to run with the ball constantly and then gives it away. Pass it to your best players! It’s not that difficult. It’s criminal on a day like today.”
