Manchester United turned down the opportunity to sign Adrien Rabiot after the Red Devils were told to pay a 'premium figure' to his mother-agent.
Rabiot, 28, was heavily linked with a move to United last summer as Erik ten Hag tried to strengthen his midfield following the departures of Jesse Lingard, Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic. Christian Eriksen had already made the move from Brentford, but Ten Hag also wanted to bring in someone a little deeper.
Instead of going for Rabiot, United opted to sign Casemiro from Real Madrid. It is a transfer that has ultimately worked out, with the Brazilian playing a huge role in the Red Devils' Carabao Cup success and helping them qualify for the Champions League next season.
However, United are back in for another midfielder this summer ahead of their return to Europe's elite club competition. Mason Mount has emerged as their priority target, but Chelsea are playing hardball on a fee for the England international. The Red Devils have had three bids rejected, and are seemingly unwilling to negotiate the proposal made by the west London club to up their offer to £58million plus add-ons.
As a result, United had been looking at a potential move for Rabiot. But according to Gazzetta dello Sport, the Red Devils pulled out of a deal in the 11th hour. It was reported that Rabiot's agent, who is his mother, asked for a £8.6m per-season wage on a three-year deal. She also requested for a hefty signing-on bonus of around £8.6m.
United immediately refused to pay that sum of money, and Rabiot has since ended up signing a new one-year contract at Juventus which will take him to the end of next season. He will earn £6m a campaign at the Old Lady, and if certain conditions for a bonuses are met, he could earn £6.8m per season.
Juventus released a club statement on Tuesday, which read: "Juventus and Adrien Rabiot together again! Adrien renews until 30 June 2024 and is ready to experience more emotions with the black and white shirt. The story is not finished, we still have roads to go side by side and we are ready to continue running together towards our goals. Congratulations, Adrienne!"
As for Ten Hag, it is yet more frustration this summer, who is thus far having transfer window to forget. Despite being touted to bring in a host of reinforcements ahead of the next Premier League campaign, he is yet to get a deal over the line with his side's first pre-season game little over a fortnight away.
