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Arsenal linked with a move for Juventus star Adrien Rabiot

By Ritayan Chatterjee on November 24, 2022

Arsenal are reportedly plotting a swoop for Juventus midfielder Adrien Rabiot, as per the Italian outlet Calciomercato.

The 27-year-old joined the Serie A giants back in 2019 as a free agent after running his contract down with his former club Paris Saint-Germain. Since moving to the Allianz Stadium, the Frenchman has established himself as a regular starter. He has enjoyed a decent start to this campaign, before the domestic competitions took a six-week pause for the 2022 World Cup, scoring three goals and notching up two assists in 11 league appearances.

The midfielder started in France’s World Cup opening fixture against Australia on Tuesday and displayed an excellent performance in Le Bleus’ comfortable 4-1 victory. After conceding early into the game, he equalised before setting up the second goal for Olivier Giroud ahead of the interval.

Rabiot’s current contract is set to expire at the end of this season and he is yet to renew his deal with the Old Lady of Turin. According to the report by Calciomercato, the Frenchman is demanding a financial package of €10m (around £8m) per year to sign an extension, however, Massimiliano Allegri’s side don’t want to go higher than €7m (£6m) per annum offer – which is his current salary – to keep him at the club.

Adrien Rabiot to Arsenal

The report further claims that after a brilliant performance in France’s opener in Qatar, the midfielder’s stance of asking for a big salary hike has got stronger and Juventus might struggle to match his demands.

The report also states that Arsenal are interested in signing Rabiot in the upcoming transfer window and are ready to match the France international’s wage requests. However, the north London club are set to face competition to sign the talented midfielder as city rivals Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur are also looking to take advantage of his current contract situation.

Rabiot – who is valued at around €18m (£15m) by Transfermarkt – could be a very good signing for Arsenal if they manage to sign him in a cut-price deal in January, or for free next summer. He is technically gifted, can play threading passes between the lines, and works extremely hard off the ball. The ex-PSG man can play anywhere across the middle of the park.

So, he would certainly strengthen the Gunners’ engine room and would be an excellent deputy to Granit Xhaka. However, he has a previous history of being a troublemaker inside the dressing room.

Therefore, Arteta might not want to sign someone who could disrupt the squad harmony. So, although Rabiot would be a good signing, the Spanish boss might stay away from this deal and focus on other targets to bolster the midfield.