Adrien Rabiot is still without a club after he left Juventus once his contract expired at the end of June, and AC Milan are reportedly thinking of a move.
As La Gazzetta dello Sport report this morning, Rabiot has been on vacation since July 9 – the European Championship semi-final against Spain – because hos expiring contract with the Bianconeri was never renewed and in the meantime no other club has satisfied his demands.
Urgency grows
Now that September is approaching and his team-mates are ‘back to school’, Rabiot is also in a hurry to understand what his future holds. Milan are keen on exploring a deal, even if there are a series of obstacles to overcome.
It is not so much that there is a time limit within which to cross the finish line (as a free agent, the player would be free to sign at any time, even after August 30) but because with the league underway and the Champions League to come the season will soon get into full swing.
Rabiot knows the league and the big competitions, so he wouldn’t need any time to settle in, but Milan’s style and Fonseca’s tasks would be new for him too, in a midfield that would emerge almost completely renewed.
Ismael Bennacer, Yacine Adli and Tommaso Pobega could all leave, with Youssouf Fofana having been signed, Ruben Loftus-Cheek moved back and Yunus Musah moved to the centre. That makes it close to a completely renewed midfield.
Obstacles and solutions
Rabiot would allow the coach to expand the number of tactical solutions while his technical quality marry perfectly with the ideas of domination and possession on which Fonseca’s game is based. In addition to offering versatility, the former PSG man is an experienced leader too, which helps.
Beyond good intentions, however, we must deal with reality. In his last year at Juventus, Rabiot earned €7.5m net and for the future he is looking for an even more rewarding project, that is, an even richer contract.
It is his mother Veronique who is in charge of the negotiations and so far she has not given discounts to anyone. Milan would offer him an ambitious project and a role as a leader that he perhaps would not have elsewhere.
The second obstacle is the sales that Milan would necessarily have to make such as the exit of Bennacer, to get rid of his €4m salary and collect a substantial sum. The Algerian’s clause of €50m is high even for the Arab market and in fact the Rossoneri are willing to negotiate.
Milan have spent €70m on signings so far and have retained all the big names in the group. Rabiot would be another big name to add and without the need to spend on the price tag, but with a heavy salary even if he decided to lighten the demands.
