‘Watch out for Liverpool’ – Klopp backed to snatch Newcastle target if he can overcome issue that rocked Man Utd
Liverpool are emerging as a threat to snap up a Newcastle-linked France international who saw a move to Man Utd implode last summer, per a report.
Despite a dismal first half of the season, the Reds are quietly confident of usurping Newcastle for fourth spot. The 2-0 victory at St. James’ Park on Saturday evening moved Liverpool within six points of the Magpies. Jurgen Klopp’s side also have a game in hand.
With or without UCL football next season Liverpool’s summer is expected to be a blockbuster one.
Fabrizio Romano recently suggested Liverpool could make two new signings in central midfield and another at centre-half.
Jude Bellingham is the primary target in the engine room. TEAMtalk exclusively learned the latest on their pursuit when speaking with reporter Ben Jacobs late last week.
However, with James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain all out of contract at season’s end, Bellingham cannot be the only new midfield arrival.
Now, a report out of Italy has put Liverpool in the frame for the canny free agent acquisition of Adrien Rabiot.
Rabiot on the move at season’s end
The France international, 27, plies his trade for Juventus at club level, though has entered the final six months of his deal.
Rabiot came close to joining Man Utd last summer during a helter-skelter period for the club. A move for Rabiot ramped up after they admitted defeat on their Frenkie de Jong chase, though the player’s mother priced her son out of a move.
Veronique Rabiot acts as Adrien’s agent and per Caught Offside, her demand her son be paid a net salary of £113,000-a-week resulted in Man Utd pulling the plug. At that stage, United walked away and quickly pushed through a move to sign Casemiro instead.
Fast forward to the present day and Rabiot’s future is coming under the microscope once again.
Newcastle linked, but ‘watch out for Liverpool’
Gazzetta dello Sport (as cited by Sport Witness) report the chances of Rabiot remaining with Juve beyond the current campaign ‘seem slim’.
Juventus are poised to miss out on the riches of UCL football following a crippling 15-point deduction. As such, they’re likely to embark on a fire-sale over the summer.
Rabiot could be a casualty of the exodus through not being offered a new contract. The Italian report discusses where Rabiot might end up and state ‘watch out for Liverpool’ after namechecking the Reds.
Elsewhere, the Spanish media (via Goal) report Newcastle too are in the mix. The Magpies are all but certain to have some form of European football next year and the addition of the classy and experienced Rabiot would represent a fantastic coup.
Goal’s article echoes Gazzetta when noting Rabiot ‘is likely to leave’ Juventus at the end of the season.
Rabiot can operate in either a two or three-man midfield and would be a fine addition on the left side of Klopp or Howe’s midfields.
He’s notched six goals and two assists across all competitions this season. Rabiot also found the net for France at the World Cup when scoring an equaliser against Australia in the group stage.
The fact he’ll not cost a transfer fee too makes him an even more enticing option. However, as Man Utd found out over the summer, forging a deal with Adrien’s mother is far from easy.
