Manchester United have pulled out of a deal to sign France international Adrien Rabiot, it emerged last night.
The Athletic reported United have abandoned the deal despite a £19 million fee being agreed with Juventus.
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United ended up making the right decision after a series of bad ones
Pursuing Adrien Rabiot in the first place was a bizarre move. Italian journalist Tancredi Palmeri described the deal as ‘incredible’ for all the wrong reasons, suggesting Juventus could not believe their luck.
Manchester United football director John Murtough flew out to negotiate personal terms for Rabiot, and this was where the move broke down.
Ultimately the club walked away from the deal – but this came only after another terrible decision from United, revealed by BBC Sport.
The BBC report states: “United are thought to have offered to make Rabiot one of their higher earners.”
This is a worrying move from United, considering the huge salaries of £300,000 plus doled out to Cristiano Ronaldo, David de Gea and Jadon Sancho.
Rabiot should not have been anywhere near that, and we are just thankful that despite United’s reported generous offer – he still wanted more.
Ultimately it seems United made the right decision. Only after a series of bad decisions.
Getting the right result here isn’t enough. The process which brought United to this point is concerning. Only pure luck, or you could say greed, prevented the club from making a terrible and costly mistake in overpaying for a fairly average player.
Worryingly, the BBC report the deal for Rabiot could be revived if United miss out on other alternative targets. Let’s hope not, because then the club’s negotiating hand over his salary will be even weaker.
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