Why Adrien Rabiot Would Be a Dream Summer Transfer for Juventus

Speaking to the press before Juventus' clash with Real Madrid, Andrea Pirlo hinted at something obvious and inevitable, but something that Bianconeri fans would prefer not to think about. He won't be pulling the strings in Turin forever, and should Max Allegri's side pull off an unlikely European triumph, it would be the perfect opportunity for the 35-year-old to leave Serie A on a high. 

At the press conference, reported here by the Guardian, Pirlo said: 

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I hope this winning cycle will end with a Champions League triumph. It would be a dream end for my spell here and a great day for everybody at the club. Yes, if we win it, I might move abroad because Juventus will be my last team in Italy.

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There are several positions that Juventus could strengthen in the summer—but none are as pressing as finding someone to fill the massive hole that Pirlo will eventually leave. Allegri has a midfield that most other sides would envy, but there's no one on the books to play the deep-lying playmaker role—the Pirlo role. He's so integral to it that his name has become synonymous with the position—should the World Cup-winning Italy international choose a new challenge once this season is over. 

The obvious—and Italian—choice to replace Pirlo in the centre for Juve is Paris Saint-Germain's Marco Verratti. The 22-year-old became a national sensation at his hometown club of Pescara, and his move to Ligue 1 was seen as a huge loss for Italian football. 

The young playmaker is often the subject of transfer speculation, but in a recent interview he committed himself to the Parc des Princes (as reported here by Goal.com). And even if he did want a move away, his price tag would likely be prohibitively expensive unless the Old Lady choose to part with a player like Paul Pogba or Arturo Vidal. But if Juve want to go on a Parisian shopping trip, PSG have another wunderkind waiting for the opportunity to make a name for himself: Adrien Rabiot. 

Unlike Verratti, Rabiot is not a regular fixture in Laurent Blanc's line-up. The 20-year-old has started just eight games this season, and with Yohan Cabaye and Verratti ahead of him in the pecking order, that's unlikely to change in 2015-16. 

He extended his contract until 2019 back in October after much speculation on his future (h/t goal.com) but while the new deal suggests that the club wants to keep hold of their local prodigy, the management isn't committed enough to his development to give him regular game time. 

Like Pogba at Manchester United, Rabiot is an immensely talented player with huge ambition and a keen hunger to fight for a place in a leading Champions League side. An excellent passer who looks as confident on the ball as off it, the tall, gaunt youngster with an unhurried, thoughtful style would make a fascinating addition in the centre alongside the dynamic physicality of Vidal and Pogba. 

He is still very young, but as Pogba demonstrated before him, age is irrelevant when a player is ready. Pogba, Kingsley Coman and Alvaro Morata all arrived from big clubs after failing to find enough playing time—and they've all shown themselves capable of holding their own at the highest level. 

Rabiot has been linked with moves to Arsenal, Liverpool and Roma in the past, per the Daily Star's Bruce Archer back in September, but Juve's European success this term, their track record of giving a chance to young players and the relatively small size of Allegri's squad when compared to other continental heavyweights all make Turin the ideal destination for a player with huge potential and something to prove.

Who would you like Juventus to sign this summer? Let me know on Twitter, @ColliOBrien. 

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