La Liga leaders Barcelona have confirmed their interest in signing French international Adrien Rabiot from Ligue 1 side Paris Saint Germain.
The midfielder’s contract expires at the end of the 2018-19 season, and he is free to confirm terms with non French teams during the January transfer window, with a view to sealing a move in the summer.
His situation has become increasingly tense with the French giants, with widespread reports that he has been banned from the club’s dressing room on match days by the club’s hierarchy.
Rabiot has made over 150 Ligue 1 appearances for the Parisian club, playing a key role under previous manager Unai Emery, however after declining their offer of a new contract extension earlier this season, he has barely featured since.
Manager Thomas Tuchel has followed the club”s line on the midfielder, and confirmed that the 23 year old will not play for the club again this season, as his exit is negotiated in the coming weeks.
He has been linked with clubs in Italy, England and Germany but Ernesto Valverde’s side look to bbe the front runners to complete a deal, and they have confirmed they are interested in bringing him to the Nou Camp.
The Catalan club released an official statement on December 30th 2018, stating they wanted to address media reports of their interest in Rabiot, adding that any contact regarding a move had been done so directly with the French club, with no transfer rules broken.
The official comment confirmed they made PSG aware in August that they were keen on Rabiot, before contacting them again at the end of December.
However no deal had been reached between the two clubs at this stage, with Barcelona insisting they would act with transparency in their negotiations.
Valverde added to his midfield options in the summer, bringing in Arturo Vidal from Bayern Munich, Arthur Melo from Brazilian side Germio and Malcom from Bordeaux.
However they are still in need of a possession focused midfielder to offer support to Sergio Busquets and Ivan Rakitic, and Rabiot fits the bill perfectly, based on the form he has previously shown in France.
The former Athletic Bilbao boss has already brought in defender Jeison Murillo, on a loan-to-buy deal from Valencia, and Carlos Alena has been permanently promoted from the club’s B side.
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