Manchester United’s £19m move for Adrien Rabiot on the verge of COLLAPSE over wage demands set by the midfielder and his mother Veronique… despite the Old Trafford club offering for him to become one of their highest earners
- Manchester United had pursued Adrien Rabiot from Juventus since last week
- The midfielder’s excessive wage demands have seen the move collapse
- The club are running out of time and options to bolster their midfield area
Manchester United’s bid to sign Adrien Rabiot from Juventus was on the verge of collapse on Tuesday night over the France midfielder’s wage demands.
After agreeing a deal with Juve worth £15.2million rising to a possible £19m, United were hopeful of persuading Rabiot to move to Old Trafford.
However, the personal terms being demanded by the player’s agent and mother Veronique, a notoriously tough negotiator, have forced United to abandon talks.
Adrien Rabiot’s excessive wage demands are said to have got in the way of a deal
Sources say United made what they consider to be a generous offer that would have elevated Rabiot to one of their top earners.
They turned to the 27-year-old after accepting that Frenkie de Jong is unlikely to move to Old Trafford from Barcelona.
Manager Erik ten Hag has made signing a new defensive midfielder his priority in this transfer window, and now faces a race to strengthen his squad before the September 1 deadline.
Veronique Rabiot, Adrien’s mother, has a fearsome reputation and it had been feared she could scupper a potential deal
United are weighing up their options and could make a move for Real Madrid’s Casemiro, the 30-year-old Brazil international.
It has been a difficult transfer window for the club, not helped by the ongoing uncertainty over Cristiano Ronaldo’s future.
United last night insisted that Ronaldo is not for sale in the face of mounting speculation the unsettled Portugal star could leave in the next two weeks.
New manager Erik ten Hag has struggled to attract the players he has wanted this summer
Some senior figures at Old Trafford and Ten Hag are said to have softened their stance on keeping Ronaldo amid concerns the saga has contributed to United’s dreadful start to the season.
However, United are sticking to their official line that the 37-year-old will not be sold before the window closes and he is staying for the rest of the campaign.
Ronaldo missed United’s pre-season tour after demanding to leave, and the positive mood that was evident in Ten Hag’s squad on the trip to Bangkok and Australia has largely evaporated since the five-time Ballon d’Or winner returned to training at the end of last month.
There is a feeling in some quarters that selling the club’s 24-goal top scorer last season might be the best option even though it would weaken an already lightweight attack.
United have lost their opening two games to Brighton and Brentford, and are currently bottom of the Premier League table.
United endured one of their worst ever defeats on Saturday when they lost away at Brentford
