Juventus Director Confirms Interest in Rabiot, Reaffirms Love for Pogba
Juventus' sporting director Fabio Paratici has confirmed the club are interested in signing soon-to-be ex-Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Adrien Rabiot, while admitting he still holds affection for Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba.
Rabiot has hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons in Paris, after numerous cases of ill-discipline and off-the-field antics have seen him play a limited amount of football with the Ligue 1 champions over the past year. He confirmed his decision to leave the club last winter after rejecting all offers of a contract extension.
His current deal is set to expire at the end of June and the possibility of a 'free' transfer for a player once highly regarded in Europe has sent major clubs on alert - with Juventus now making their interest public.
Sky Sport Italy reporter Fabrizio Romano relayed Paratici's comments on Twitter: "We're interested in Adrien Rabiot and we made our move as other clubs. We'll see what will happen."
While it is evidently clear that the Bianconeri are among a host of sides vying for Rabiot's signature, the confirmation from the director would indicate they might have moved one step ahead of their European rivals.
However, the midfielder isn't the only Frenchman linked with a move to Juventus this summer, with reports continuing to tie Pogba with a return to the Turin-based outfit. Real Madrid are also monitoring the situation, and poised to bid £90m for the Manchester United star, although Italian journalists Gianluca Di Marzio and Romeo Agresti claim the 26-year-old favors a move to Juventus.
Paratici, via Romeo Agresti, remained tight-lipped on a possible move for Pogba, but made no bones about the club's 'love' for the World Cup winner, amid a potential summer swoop for their former Serie A winner. He said: "Pogba is top player and we love him, for sure... we have a great relationship with Paul. But he's a Manchester United player".
No confirmation of a 'move' like the one made for Rabiot was mentioned, but it appears Paratici is doing his utmost to lure the United midfielder back to Italy, effectively ruling Madrid out of the player's thinking - if he is indeed keen on Madrid at all.
