Man Utd dealt blow as Rabiot’s mother asks for wage ‘in excess’ of €7m Juve earnings

Man Utd have reportedly hit another stumbling block in their pursuit of Juventus’ Adrien Rabiot, courtesy of his agent and mother, Veronique.

Following Sunday’s surprising (yet not surprising) home defeat to Brighton, the Red Devils reacted by launching an attempt to sign Rabiot for around £15m.

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The club’s pursuit of the French midfielder was reported by reliable journalist David Ornstein, who does not say much, but when he does, it should be taken as gospel.

It has been a bizarre week for Man Utd, who also made a bid for ex-Stoke City forward Marko Arnautovic, only to pull out of a deal due to backlash from the fanbase.

Erik ten Hag has officially hit the panic button at Old Trafford by pursuing Arnautovic and Rabiot, but after months of trying to convince Frenkie de Jong to join, this was always on the cards.

It seems that Ten Hag has been clutching onto the idea that De Jong will change his mind, but he would rather play for a club treating him like s***, than move to Old Trafford.

Man Utd have agreed a fee with Juventus for Rabiot – as per Fabrizio Romano – and have opened discussions over personal terms with the player and his agent, who also happens to be his mother.

Furthermore, the 27-year-old has held positive talks with Ten Hag.

Despite the two club’s agreeing a fee for the player – who is out of contract in less than 12 months – the deal has hit a ‘blockage’ over personal terms.

Man Utd need to convince the player and his mother that Old Trafford is the place for him, despite their lack of Champions League football.

The club surely knew about Rabiot’s off-the-pitch baggage. Nearly every football fan in the country does, so it is hard to imagine that Ten Hag, Richard Arnold and co don’t have a clue.

His mother, who represents him, is notoriously difficult to work with and can be something of a hot-head at the best of times.

Veronique has often jumped to the defence of her client and son by blasting his critics and was seen arguing with families of Rabiot’s France teammates at Euro 2020, notably criticising Paul Pogba for an error in the build-up to a crucial goal for Switzerland.

Another example is when she waited for then-Paris Saint-Germain boss Laurent Blanc in a car park after he demoted her son to the reserves.

Getting back to the point of this article; it is believed that Veronique’s demands is one of the reasons Man Utd are struggling to get a deal for her son over the line.

According to Sportmediaset, she has asked Man Utd to pay him more than he earns in Turin.

He is currently on an annual salary of €7m, but Rabiot’s mother has asked for a wage ‘in excess’ of this amount.

Rabiot is guaranteed this amount should he stay at Juventus, and given the nature of the wages that free agents receive these days, he could earn a pretty penny next year should he run down his contract.

Of course, Man Utd can not offer Champions League football, which is another reason why his representatives are asking for more money.