Adrien Rabiot has admitted he would like to play in the Premier League one day - but has he missed his chance at Manchester United?
Rabiot, 27, made the revelation at a press conference on Wednesday - four months after United tried to sign him from Juventus. The France international is preparing to play against England in the World Cup quarter-final at the Al Bayt Stadium on Saturday night.
The Red Devils agreed a transfer fee in the region of £15million with Juventus for Rabiot's services and their football director John Murtough even flew to Turin to finalise a deal. Yet the move collapsed when United failed to match the midfielder's wage demands.
"I haven’t got a Premier League team in mind right now," said Rabiot to leave Premier League clubs on red alert. "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."
Rabiot is set to become a free agent in July when his Juventus deal expires. Several clubs across Europe are likely to be interested in the former Paris Saint-Germain star, who's played more than 400 professional games and won 22 trophies during his career.
Rabiot is unlikely to come cheap next summer, despite being a free agent. That's due to the demands of Veronique Rabiot - the player's mother and agent. Veronique wanted her son to be one of the top earners at Old Trafford during transfer talks in August.
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Veronique may drop her son's salary following his Premier League admission on Wednesday, yet it could be too late for him to join Erik ten Hag's side. The Red Devils signed Brazil international Casemiro from Real Madrid after the Rabiot deal collapsed.
United chiefs may also be simply annoyed at Rabiot's remarks, as they'll be wondering why he isn't part of Ten Hag's squad now. Murtough and his colleagues may decide it's too much hassle to re-enter negotiations with Rabiot and his mother next summer.
Alternatively, United may be delighted with Rabiot's admission because it gives them hope of completing a deal in the future. They may also be able to afford Veronique's lofty wage demands due to there not being a transfer fee involved in his next contract.
Rabiot will put himself in the shop window with a good display against England on Saturday night. The Juventus star has insisted France are not dependent on talisman Kylian Mbappe, who is their leading scorer at the World Cup with five goals.
"We are not dependent on him," said Rabiot. "He has amazing potential and we know that 90% of the goals can maybe come from him. He is very fast, able to make great assists but we also have other players who can make a difference on the pitch in another way.
"We have a great weapon in Kylian and we’re not going to deprive ourselves of that."
