Adrien Rabiot was long linked with a move to Manchester United throughout his career.
Every summer, there are new names linked with Manchester United, but only some are fortunate enough to sign the dotted line and wear the red shirt.
United have been involved in many dragged-out sagas down the years.
Nicolas Gaitan is an example of a player who was linked regularly to United without any deal materialising. Other players who experienced long transfer sagas with the Red Devils include Wesley Sneijder, Cesc Fabregas and Patrick Kluivert.
Each player has their own story and reasons for not moving their careers to Old Trafford.
In recent years, Adrien Rabiot was strongly linked with United, but the French international never made the move to the Premier League.
It is understood that a deal was close with United in 2022, although Rabiot has since left Juventus and is now playing his football at Marseille, with the club having a former United striker, Mason Greenwood, in their squad.
United subsequently signed Casemiro for a fee rising to £70m.
Man Utd accused of ‘disrespecting’ Adrien Rabiot
Rabiot’s mother has hit out at United for being ‘disrespectful’ during previous transfer talks.
In 2022, Erik ten Hag set his mind in signing Frenkie de Jong, and United grew frustrated during the failed pursuit. Attention would turn to Rabiot as an offer worth £15m rising to £20m was agreed with Juventus.
The move would later collapse and sources indicated it was due to the Frenchman’s ‘obscene’ salary demands.
Rabiot is represented by his mother, Veronique, who has a reputation for her approach to football business.
In an interview with L’Equipe, Veronique Rabiot opened up on the failed move to Old Trafford.
“But that, too, is completely false. That year, Adrien was ready to leave Juve, who had qualified for the ChampionsLeague, for ManchesterUnited, who hadn’t,” she said.
“We discussed the terms and in the end, they said to me, ‘If we don’t qualify for the Champions League at the end of next season, Adrien’s salary will go down.’ I found that really over the top and very disrespectful.
“I said, ‘We’re stopping.’ They thought it was a strategy to get more [money]. But no, it was a matter of principle, not money. Obviously, it surprised them. They’re not used to it.”
Interestingly, the clause Rabiot rejected is one other United first team players have accepted in recent years. Nowadays a wage reduction clause is included in every player’s contract to cover the failure to qualify for the Champions League.
Rabiot didn’t agree and missed out on the opportunity to take his career to England.
Rabiot’s stats last season
At the age of 30, Rabiot is recording impressive numbers in Ligue 1.
The midfielder made 31 appearances for Marseille last term, scoring 10 goals and registering six assists.
It’s a decent return for a midfield player and Rabiot looks set to remain at Marseille next season.
| Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| 31 | 10 | 6 |
Marseille finished runners-up to Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1 last term.
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