According to Telefoot (h/t Football.London), Adrien Rabiot is ‘opting to join Barcelona’ next summer, with his Paris Saint-Germain contract expiring at the end of the season. The 23-year-old had been on the radar of Tottenham but considered the Londoners ‘below’ the likes of Barca and had excessive wage demands that Spurs would be unwilling to meet. He’s set to sign a pre-contract deal with the Catalan giants when the January transfer window opens.
Losing out on Rabiot is a blow for Tottenham as Mauricio Pochettino had been in the market for a stellar central midfielder, but the London outfit were never really close to signing him. The French international was tipped to leave PSG on a free transfer at the end of the campaign after the club refused to meet his age demands, so why would Tottenham have any more luck with negotiations?
Rabiot has made 227 appearances in all competitions for PSG since rising through the youth ranks to the first-team in 2012 but will be plying his trade elsewhere after 2018/19. The midfielder is combative, highly composed in possession and is adept at driving with the ball from deep, so he would have been a good addition to the Tottenham ranks. Their loss will be Barcelona’s gain it seems.
Crippy Cooke’s previous article
Mauricio Pochettino names which side are ‘clear favourites’ for the Premier League title