PSG Reportedly Name Adrien Rabiot Asking Price Amid Barcelona Rumours
July 12, 2018
Paris Saint-Germain have reportedly decided Barcelona target Adrien Rabiot is free to leave the club this summer, and the player has been informed how much the Ligue 1 side will be willing to sell for.
Rabiot has been linked with a move to the Camp Nou in the past, and Le Parisien (h/t Sport) reported new manager Thomas Tuchel is fine about parting ways with the midfielder, whose contract expires next summer.
The 23-year-old joined PSG's academy in 2010 and earned his senior debut two years later. He played in a career-high 43 matches last season in his sixth campaign at the Parc des Princes.
Sport Witness referred to a Mundo Deportivo report on Wednesday that said a delegation had been sent from Barcelona, comprising general manager Pep Segura and technical secretary Eric Abidal, to get a deal over the line:
A €40 million (£35.3 million) fee is mentioned as being sufficient to tempt PSG into selling, with Barcelona in the hunt for a new midfield recruit after they sold Paulinho back to Guangzhou Evergrande.
That departure freed up a non-EU player space in their squad that's since been occupied by Brazilian arrival Arthur, previously at Gremio, but Rabiot could move to provide more European influence.
Yahoo's Andrew Gaffney discussed the Frenchman as a potential signing for Tottenham Hotspur, although the benefits regarding his experience playing on big stages still stands:
Tuchel seemingly sees the benefit of selling his star now rather than risk losing Rabiot for nothing when his deal expires next summer.
Graham Dunbar of the Associated Press commented on Rabiot's sale as part of PSG's plan to fall in line with UEFA's financial fair play policy:
The Evening Standard's Matt Slater recently reported UEFA is set to reopen its investigation into the club's finances between 2015 and 2017. This came after last summer's £200 million capture of Neymar from Barcelona, while Kylian Mbappe moved from AS Monaco, initially on loan with a future £166 million payment.
Rabiot has been capped by France on six occasions and missed out on a place in Didier Deschamps' 2018 FIFA World Cup squad. However, his attitude raised some eyebrows when he refused to be put on his country's standby list, per BBC Sport.
Attitude concerns have followed Rabiot in his still budding career, which could have played a part in PSG and Tuchel's willingness to part ways with the player this summer.