French star “waiting” for Manchester United contact, refusing to sign new deal with club

A star of France’s 2024 European Championship squad is “waiting” for Manchester United to initiate contact, but so far, there has been nothing.

Manchester United are looking to sign a new midfielder this summer after last season saw gaping holes in the middle of the pitch under Erik ten Hag.

Casemiro is a name that many predict will leave the club in the coming months, with UtdDistrict understanding that United are also 100% open to selling Scott McTominay this summer in order to raise funds for new transfers.

Read More: Manchester United fans call for transfer after England draw, Gareth Southgate was right

In the meantime, new co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has explained that the club are currently in the process of assessing the best possible options for the club in the market this summer, with multiple signings needed on a limited budget.

“We’re doing what every other club is doing, which is looking at which are the holes in our squad, and where we want the holes, and what are the possibilities out there in the market for us,” Ratcliffe said in an interview released on Thursday morning.

One player who was heavily linked with United last summer was French and Juventus star Adrien Rabiot, who started and played 70 minutes for France during their opening 1-0 win against Austria during the 2024 European Championships.

In 2023, the interest went as far as John Murough, football director at the time, visiting Rabiot in Turin to discuss terms over a possible deal – although no transfer materialised.

The Italian outlet Tuttosport has now claimed that Rabiot is refusing to sign a new contract with Juventus because he is waiting for Manchester United to reignite interest.

“It is said that he is waiting for Manchester United, who were already interested in him once, but for the moment, there is no news on that front,” the report explains.

Rabiot’s contract with Juventus expires at the end of this month, meaning he would be free to leave and be picked up by another club without a transfer fee being involved.

This would represent a fantastic deal for Ratcliffe and his team, although the one caveat would be Rabiot’s wage and signing bonus. Although a free transfer will always represent a good deal, the lack of money injected into signing often triggers any player’s agent to demand a larger signing-on bonus and wage packet.

With United looking to reduce their wage bill and save money where they can, this could prove a sticking point should the club make contact with Rabiot.

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