Manchester United leading PSG in race to sign 28-year-old midfielder on free transfer: Reports
Manchester United are reportedly ahead of Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in the race to sign Juventus midfielder Adrien Rabiot.
Gazzetta dello Sport reports that the Red Devils are the frontrunners in the chase for the 28-year-old this summer. Rabiot will be a free agent as his contract expires with Juve.
The French midfielder joined the Old Lady from PSG in 2019 on a free transfer. Hence, Rabiot already has prior history at the Parc des Princes, making 227 appearances.
However, Rabiot's relationship with the Parisians turned volatile during the latter stages of his spell with the Ligue 1 giants. His agent, his mother Veronique, told French radio station RTL that the situation between the midfielder and PSG had totally deteriorated when he decided to depart.
Manchester United seem to be the favorites to sign Rabiot and they tried doing so last summer. Erik ten Hag's side even agreed on a £15 million deal for the Frenchman. However, his wage demands scuppered the operation and he remained at the Allianz Stadium.
Rabiot featured 48 times across competitions this season, scoring 11 goals and providing six assists. He looks to be the latest midfielder on Ten Hag's radar as the Red Devils boss looks to bolster his midfield.
Chelsea's Mason Mount looks likely to be joining United this summer. However, the Old Trafford outfit are reportedly some way off meeting Chelsea's £80 million valuation of the Englishman.
Ex-Manchester United defender Paul Parker doesn't want his former club to sign PSG's Neymar
PSG forward Neymar continues to be linked with a move to Manchester United this summer. Recent reports claim that the Brazilian desires a move to Old Trafford as his future is in doubt at the Parc des Princes.
Neymar finished the latter stages of the season on the sidelines after incurring an ankle injury that required surgery. He scored 18 goals and provided 17 assists in 29 games before the injury.
However, Parker doesn't want the 31-year-old to join Manchester United. He slammed the possible transfer by comparing it to Cristiano Ronaldo's second spell with the club. He told:
“No, I don’t want Neymar at Man Utd. No, not at all. If that were to happen, all you would have done was to go from the frying pan to the fire with the Ronaldo situation in mind."
Parker continued by ripping into the characteristics of the PSG attacker alluding to his injury record and perceived constant moaning:
“If things aren’t going his way, he will cause issues. He gets involved with players on the pitch, which causes other players to lose their discipline. I’ve seen it too many times at PSG and Brazil. He whines. I’m not saying that it’s intentional but he loses it. He can’t deal with losing the ball.”
Neymar has two years left on his contract with the Parisians but could follow star duo Lionel Messi and Sergio Ramos out of the door. The Brazilian holds a fractious relationship with the club's fans amid his fitness issues.