Adrien Rabiot's admission he wants to play in the Premier League will certainly raise a few smiles at Manchester United.
Were it not for his mother’s "excessive" wage demands on behalf of her son, the France international would have got his wish and joined the Red Devils in the summer. A fee of £15million was agreed with Juventus, but Veronique Rabiot's insistence her son should be among United's highest earners ultimately ended any deal.
Known as a tough negotiator, United walked away when she refused to compromise on her demands, signing Brazil star Casemiro and free agent Christian Eriksen instead.
This season, Rabiot could have been playing alongside United’s England trio Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw and Marcus Rashford, as well as France team-mate Raphael Varane.
Against that backdrop, Rabiot, 27, will line up against England in Saturday's World Cup quarter-final with a point to prove, not least because he is out of contract in six months. Yet to agree a new deal with Juventus, Rabiot could be one of the most attractive free agents on the market next summer, with a host of Premier League clubs on alert.
He has impressed in Qatar, operating as the fulcrum of France’s midfield, impressing with his ball-winning abilities and passing range in the absence of the injured N’Golo Kante.
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It has been a remarkable turnaround for Rabiot, whose international future looked over back in 2018, when he declined to go on the standby list for France’s World Cup squad.
Rabiot’s snub looked even more foolish as France went on to lift the World Cup, and he was not welcomed back into the international fold by Deschamps until 2202.
The 27-year-old admitted he did not know how he would be treated after turning his back on his country, but has since gone on to become a key player for France.
"My relationship with the coach didn’t stop after what happened in 2018," said Rabiot. "Maybe there were two years where we didn’t have any contact at all, then I came back in 2020, we talked through it and everything went really well.
"I didn’t know what to expect at the beginning, but there was a great connection immediately and the relationship is improving day by day."
On playing in the Premier League, Rabiot said: "I haven’t got a Premier League team in mind right now. I haven’t made a choice. It’s the general appeal of the Premier League and the level of play that attracts me most. It fits my qualities."
