It looks as though Barcelona’s pursuit of Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba has gone cold for now.
While the Catalan giants were previously linked to the French World Cup winner, Barcelona believes a transfer from the Premier League club is not possible at least for this summer, according to Mundo Deportivo (h/t Sky Sports).
Instead, Barcelona looks poised to go after Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Adrien Rabiot, for what is believed to be $57.9 million.
Also a French international, Rabiot is two years younger than Pogba at 23, though he wasn’t nearly as instrumental as the Manchester United man.
Why does Barcelona want Adrien Rabiot?
Regardless, Rabiot is a play-making presence that would be more than welcomed within a Barcelona midfield that is still in need of a proper replacement for Andres Iniesta. While it signed 21-year-old Brazilian Malcolm from Bordeaux, his fellow countryman Arthur from Gremio and Chilean Arturo Vidal from Bayern Munich, an engine that can facilitate an attack is still on the team’s transfer checklist.
Rabiot would provide just that as he’s one of the more accurate passers in Europe. He’s had a pass success percentage of at least 90-percent or more in each of the past three seasons, numbers that will help open even more opportunities for the likes of Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.
He’s already tallied a goal in two appearances for PSG in Ligue 1 action this year, though he isn’t expected to stay in France for long.
Mundo Deportivo went on to reveal that Rabiot has already rejected PSG’s latest contract offer which has him slated to become a free agent next summer.
Barcelona and PSG have until Aug. 31 to complete a deal or they will be forced to wait until the next transfer window opens in January. Only Premier League clubs in England can’t buy new players as the teams voted to close their window prior to the start of the 2018-19 season on Aug. 9, which is one enormous competitor Barcelona won’t have to worry about for the rest of the month.
Barcelona technical director Eric Abidal told Mundo Deportivo that he is “confident” a deal with Rabiot will be done before the Aug. 31 deadline.
