Thomas Tuchel has already been told about the inconsistencies that exist in Adrien Rabiot's game as Chelsea are set to miss out on one of their previous midfield summer targets.
The Blues had been looking at the France international as an alternative to Declan Rice but didn't press forward with a move, and now the player is heading to Manchester United as Erik ten Hag looks to rebuild at Old Trafford.
The Blues still have numerous issues to sort out this summer including central midfield where they are increasingly pushing for Frenkie de Jong. It is understood that if any Chelsea midfielders were to depart this summer, it would be Jorginho who is angling for a move back to Serie A and interested club Juventus will need to remove one of their own players to compensate for the arrival of the former Napoli man.
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Therefore, it's no surprise to see Les Bleus international Rabiot be included on a Juve selling transfer list with a potential swap deal potentially on the cards earlier this into the summer, especially as Chelsea have previously tried deals with the Italian side over Timo Werner and Matthijs de Ligt already.
The Frenchman is now a key target for ten Hag and they are pursuing a deal for him this summer, despite there being just one year left on his current deal.
With defensive conversations for Wesley Fofana progressing, a new £85m bid is expected this week, football.london understands, and with the addition of Marc Cucurella being completed earlier this week, attention can turn to the midfield, where the looming prospect of Jorginho and N'Golo Kante's expiring contracts next summer comes in.
To combat this, Chelsea, who have suffered multiple setbacks in their attempts to sign long-term target Declan Rice over the last few transfer windows, will continue to consider their midfield options, especially now that Aurelien Tchouameni is off the table having already moved to Real Madrid.
That's where the 27-year-old Rabiot had come into the picture and a colleague of Gianluca Di Marzio provided an update on Chelsea's interest regarding the Les Bleus international earlier this summer, Nathan Gissing's tweet reads: "It is true Thomas Tuchel is a fan of Juventus midfielder Adrien Rabiot and liked him when at PSG, but there is nothing advanced as of now. Chelsea’s focus is strengthening the attack and defence."
Since then Chelsea have made a wise decision to move on from Rabiot, instead targeting de Jong. However, the price of the 25-year-old and his suitability to making the transition into a four-man defence must be considered as Tuchel decides whether to promote the likes of Billy Gilmour and Conor Gallagher or try and sign an experienced player from outside the club. Gilmour appears to be leaving the club this summer and Gallagher staying, though signing de Jong would provide immediate competition for the young Englishman's place in the squad.
Tuchel's relationship and knowledge of the Rabiot looks to have paid off though despite the love-hate relationship between the pair that had formed from their time together at Paris Saint-Germain. The German wants to reunite with a player he knows well, just like he tried with Barca winger Ousmane Dembele this summer. However, Juve manager Max Allegri on numerous occasions across Rabiot's three-year stay in Italy has stated the inconsistencies that Juventus' No. 25 has shown in midfield- especially to do with his lack of goal contributions.
"If I was Rabiot I'd be very angry with myself, how many goals has he scored in two years here? Ten? It's not acceptable, if I were him, I'd be very upset," Allegri was quoted saying back in September 2021. "He needs to improve all these things to get really better and I am sure he'll be able to do it this year."
It seems as though he hasn't done this due to the fact that out of his 39 appearances in all competitions for the Turin based club during 2021/22, he registered only two goal involvements, which were both assists. “I think Adrien can really do damage with his shot from distance, but perhaps it’s because he plays internationally for France in a two-man midfield, he just doesn’t make the right movements or has the right timing to get the shot away," Allegri analysed via Football Italia after a win over Cagliari. “He didn’t read the game well at all today and we have to do a great deal of work with him."
It is now over to ten Hag to deal with Rabiot and Chelsea fans can rest in the knowledge that their younger target in De Jong will chose a move to London over Manchester, if something can be agreed.
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