Manchester United must roll out the biggest gun in their negotiating arsenal if they are to get a deal for Adrien Rabiot over the line.
The Red Devils have agreed in principle to sign the Frenchman from Juventus as Erik ten Hag frantically searches for a midfield recruit this summer. Old Trafford chiefs will need to stump up an initial fee in the region of £15million to get the deal over the line.
They will also need to strike personal terms with Rabiot, which means entering talks with his mother and agent, Veronique. It appears she will drive a hard bargain when it comes to negotiating the best possible contract for her son - and as she is only interested in talking directly to United football director John Murtough, rather than any intermediaries.
That is according to the Daily Telegraph, which notes no member of the Red Devils hierarchy has made contact with Veronique at this stage after her demand over who she deals with was made clear. That is despite United's links with Rabiot only growing stronger as he pushes to leave Juve with less than 12 months remaining on his contract.
The France international has officially asked to leave the Turin giants and the club are willing to grant his request as he does not feature in manager Massimiliano Allegri's plans. The report claims Rabiot would rather play Champions League football but he is willing to make an exception for United due to the stature of the club.
United's need for a fresh injection of quality was evident as they fell to a 2-1 defeat by Brighton in their opening Premier League fixture of the campaign. Assessing the defeat, Ten Hag confessed one of his side's biggest issues was the fact they were wasteful in the centre of the park.
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"It wasn't the defending. We defend as a team and we made passing mistakes that were unnecessary in the midfield, then they took over," the Dutchman said. "We have to be better at organisation because we have made appointments and they have to do the job which we talked about, which they have been appointed to do.
"That is not what we did and then we got punished. The same with the second goal, it was totally unnecessary from a ball that was loose in the corner on the other side. It is not good that you then go on and concede a goal." United can get back to winning ways as they travel to Brentford in Saturday's evening kick-off.
