BREAKING: Arsenal now ‘pressing’ to sign £22m World Cup star in January
According to Tuttomercatoweb, Arsenal are pressing to sign Juventus midfielder Adrien Rabiot in the January transfer window.
The London giants have had a fabulous Premier League season and they recently registered a fourth successive win by beating West Ham United at the Emirates Stadium. There are no major concerns for Arsenal at the moment but manager Mikel Arteta will want to strengthen key positions in the squad for the title run-in.
A new winger appears an absolute priority and the club are already in talks with Shakhtar Donetsk for Mykhaylo Mudryk. A midfielder could also be signed this winter and Tuttomercatoweb report that Arsenal are pressing to sign Rabiot from Juventus.
Rabiot’s current deal with Juventus expires in June 2023. The Serie A heavyweights could be tempted to sell him in January than losing him for nothing in the summer. Arsenal are set to face competition from cross-city rivals Tottenham Hotspur for the player.
Top-class
Rabiot was close to joining Manchester United in the last transfer window but the transfer broke down over personal terms. The Frenchman has since had a brilliant turnaround season in Turin. Before the World Cup, the 27-year-old was one of their best performers.
He registered five goals and a couple of assists in 16 appearances for Juventus and went on to have a superb World Cup with France, who were beaten by Argentina on penalties in the final. If he were to join Arsenal, he would be a top-class signing with his experience.
Rabiot can play in the holding and central midfield positions but he is best suited in the latter of those roles. He could provide competition to Granit Xhaka for the number eight spot and would not cost the club much with his contract expiring at the end of the season.
The once Paris Saint-Germain youngster is currently valued at £22 million, according to Transfermarkt. Arsenal can easily afford the fee but need to be wary of Spurs, who have good connections with Juventus, having signed Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur last winter.