Manchester United may finally be closing in on a midfield signing this summer, having agreed a fee in principle with Juventus for Adrien Rabiot.
The Manchester Evening News understands United are in a position where they still have to negotiate personal terms with the player. Nevertheless, United could be set to sign Rabiot, having spent much of the summer in pursuit of Frenkie de Jong.
There was an acceptance late last week from United that they had to pursue alternative midfielders to De Jong, despite having agreed an €85million fee with Barcelona last month. Although the Reds haven’t ended their pursuit of the Netherlands international, club sources have said fall-back options were being kept “warm”.
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And Rabiot could well prove to be United’s preferred back-up this summer. The club have monitored the 27-year-old since Louis van Gaal’s spell as manager.
Should he complete a move to Old Trafford, Rabiot will have a few options as he picks out his new shirt number. Unfortunately for the France international, his preferred No.25 is currently unavailable, and doesn’t look set to become free anytime soon given Jadon Sancho is in possession of it.
Here are the squad numbers available to Rabiot should he make the move to United.
No.13
Very rarely will an outfield player willingly choose No.13, although Park Ji-sung did sport it during his time at United. It’s available following Lee Grant’s exit earlier in the summer.
No.15
Andreas Pereira’s move to Fulham means the No.15 is available to Rabiot. Since the No.25 is taken, this one might be the number to take his fancy.
No.18
With Bruno Fernandes taking his favoured No.8 jersey following Juan Mata’s departure, No.18 is up for grabs once again. Rabiot has worn it previously on international duty with France, so it could prove to be an option.
No.21
The No.21 is De Jong’s favourite, and may well have been kept free in anticipation of the midfielder’s arrival.
No.31
Very much an outside bet, although Rabiot has previously worn the No.31 in his career, during his first year with PSG.
Other numbers below 40 available: 24, 30, 32, 35.
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