Exclusive: Man United transfer target priced himself out of Premier League move, claims expert

Former Juventus midfielder Adrien Rabiot has finally found a new club, completing a move to Marseille on a free transfer after summer interest from Manchester United and numerous other links that failed to materialise.

CaughtOffside were told about Man Utd enquiring about Rabiot, as per Matteo Moretto, while French football expert Jonathan Johnson also told us about the Red Devils considering the France international as an alternative in case they weren’t able to sign Manuel Ugarte.

Now, speaking exclusively to CaughtOffside for today’s upcoming Daily Briefing column, Fabrizio Romano provided further insight into Rabiot’s situation over the summer as he took his time before eventually ending up at Marseille.

It seems the 29-year-old had a number of other opportunities, according to Romano, but one key factor that prevented him getting a move to the Premier League was the fact that his wage demands were considered too high.

Rabiot transfer: Romano hints at why Man Utd missed out

“There were big, very big proposals from Turkey and Saudi but he only wanted to play in one of the European top leagues,” Romano said.

“The Premier League was his dream but his salary requests were considered too expensive. OM have been excellent at working behind the scenes and getting it done for a reduced salary, convincing Rabiot of their project.”

United fans will no doubt be wondering if this means their club weren’t quite ambitious enough on this deal, though others will perhaps feel it’s an encouraging sign that they are no longer paying over the odds for players, as they’ve spent huge amounts of money on a long list of flops in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era.

Rabiot is a fine player who would bring quality and experience to MUFC, but fans will probably feel Ugarte could end up being the better investment.