Juventus and France midfielder Adrien Rabiot wants to reportedly join Barcelona next year.
The central midfielder, 27, who has starred for France at the 2022 World Cup, is in the final six months of his contract at Juventus. The Frenchman will be eligible to sign a pre-contract agreement with foreign clubs from January onward as he looks set to leave the Turin giants at the end of the season.
According to Spanish outlet TodoFichajes, Adrien Rabiot’s desire is to join Barcelona on a potentially free transfer from Juventus next summer. The 27-year-old doesn’t intend to renew his contract with Juventus, and while he has admitted on a number of occasions that he likes the Premier League, Rabiot has set his sights on Barcelona, the report adds.
Manchester United came close to signing Rabiot in the summer before opting out and signing Casemiro from Real Madrid instead. Having stayed at Juventus, the France international has performed admirably well, registering three goals and two assists in 11 Serie A games during the first half of the season.
Rabiot has taken that impressive form to the World Cup in Qatar, playing a pivotal role in France’s qualification to the final where they are set to play Argentina on Sunday.
Adrien Rabiot to Barcelona—Should the club make a move?
Barcelona boss Xavi Hernandez currently has Gavi, Pedri, Sergio Busquets, Frenkie de Jong, Franck Kessie and Pablo Torre as his midfield options. But with Busquets into the final year of his contract at Camp Nou and Kessie’s future uncertain after a miserable start to life in Spain, reinforcing the midfield unit could be on Xavi’s agenda next summer.
Adrien Rabiot might thus be a viable option to potentially fill Busquets’ void in midfield if he leaves Barcelona following the expiry of his contract. While Rabiot will not be a like-for-like Busquets replacement, he still can operate as a deep-lying playmaker and run the show for the Catalan giants. He will bring quality, experience and physicality to Barcelona’s engine room, whilst being an excellent option to rotate with the likes of Pedri, Gavi and De Jong for Xavi.
Under a tactically astute manager like Xavi, the Frenchman could enjoy the peak years of his career at Barcelona. Rabiot has plenty of experience at the highest level in France and Italy and, is currently playing some of the best football of his career, underlining that he still seems to have plenty of gas left in the tank.
Moreover, the France international’s potential free agent status makes him an appealing proposition for the Catalan club to pursue. As a result, the deal may be worth exploring for Barcelona.