Juventus are behind Premier League giants such as Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool in the race to secure Adrien Rabiot for next season, according to Calciomercato.
Rabiot’s contract in Turin expires at the end of the season and he will be available on a Bosman Transfer for other clubs.
Juventus are in talks with Rabiot over a new deal and would like to keep him – with official discussions set to resume imminently with the player’s agent/mother Veronique Rabiot.
READ MORE: Who is Veronique Rabiot?
Calciomercato reports that Juventus will only offer him the same salary – €7 million per year – that he currently earns at the club. They are open to throwing in a signing-on bonus too.
However, interested Premier League clubs Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool – and possibly even Man City – are willing to match Rabiot’s demands of €10m per season.
Rabiot is likely to accept the higher financial offer, meaning that Juventus face a tough ask keeping the Frenchman at the club past the end of this season.
Juventus coach Max Allegri has made it clear he wants to keep Rabiot until the end of the season rather than cash in on him in January to avoid losing him for nothing in the summer.
Rabiot was close to joining Man Utd in the summer
Rabiot close to joining Man Utd
Rabiot was very close to joining Man Utd last summer, with the 27-year-old locked in advanced negotiations with the Red Devils.
It is widely understood that Juventus and Man Utd agreed on a transfer fee worth €18 million plus €6m in add-ons.
All that was required to complete the move was for Rabiot to agree personal terms.
However, Rabiot requested a huge salary rise. His mother and agent Veronique was blamed for these excessive demands, also asking for a huge signing-on bonus.
Subsequently, Man Utd refused to meet these salary demands and the transfer fell through.
Instead, United opted to pay substantially more in buying Real Madrid legend Casemiro for over €70m.
Rabiot has enjoyed the best start to a season in his career and has already scored five goals in all competitions for Juventus.
This is just one goal short of his best ever tally for a season, having hit six goals for PSG during the 2015-16 campaign. He also has two assists.
He also impressed at the World Cup, playing a key role in France’s journey to the final where they lost on penalties to Argentina after a thrilling 3-3 draw.