Ten Hag stunned as late U-turn derails Man Utd move and stops Arsenal deal dead in its tracks

Erik ten Hag looks primed to miss out on a Man Utd target for a second time, and a last-gasp U-turn also has major ramifications on an Arsenal deal, per a top source.

Upon admitting defeat on their pursuit of Frenkie de Jong last summer, Man Utd quickly turned their attention to Adrien Rabiot of Juventus.

Juventus were willing to sell the France international, though the deal collapsed when it came to negotiating personal terms.

Indeed, Adrien’s mother Veronique – who doubles up as her son’s agent – is understood to have priced Adrien out of a move to Old Trafford.

The Rabiots were reportedly seeking a net salary of around £113,000-a-week. United deemed that figure ‘excessive’ and duly aborted their pursuit. Casemiro quickly emerged as midfield option No 3 and the rest is history.

But with Rabiot due to become a free agent on June 30, Man Utd spied an opportunity to complete their unfinished business.

Indeed, the Athletic revealed United were in contact with the Rabiot family over a proposed move to Manchester. Adding fuel to the fire was FootMercato’s claim Rabiot had rejected Juve’s latest contract offer.

The Serie A side are desperate to retain the 28-year-old central midfielder, though for the longest time, it appeared their efforts would fail.

However, according to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, a late U-turn is poised to see Rabiot extend his stay in Turin.

Indeed, Romano tweeted that despite the fact a “new deal has been unlikely for months”, a change of heart has occured and Juventus are now “close to a full agreement” with Rabiot.

The final details are set to be ironed out, with Romano labelling the development a “huge one” for Juventus.

As such, United are primed to miss out on Rabiot two years in a row, something that may embolden them to go the extra mile to sign Mason Mount.

United’s latest bid for the Chelsea attacker totalled £55m. Chelsea counteroffered to the tune of £65m and negotiations are now at a standstill.

Rabiot U-turn affects Thomas Partey transfer

Rabiot staying in Juventus will also have implications in north London.

Indeed, the player Juventus had earmarked as Rabiot’s replacement if he left was Arsenal’s Thomas Partey.

The Gunners are open to offers for Partey this summer and interest from Saudi Arabia is concrete.

However, the 30-year-old is understood to prefer remaining in Europe and a move worth between €18m-€20m (approx. £15.5m-£17.2m) to Juventus was touted by Gianluca Di Marzio. Partey even reportedly gave the greenlight to joining Juventus.

All sources to report on the potential transfer stressed Partey would only move to Juventus if Rabiot departed. With that no longer happening, it stands to reason Partey won’t be heading to Italy either.

READ MORE: ‘Deal done’, as Man Utd beat Arsenal, Chelsea to superb domestic coup