Man Utd failure to land six-time champion explained as star joins former Red Devil instead

The reasons for Manchester United failing to sign Adrien Rabiot have been explained, as the six-time Ligue 1 champion has decided to head back to France, with Marseille.

United lost both Scott McTominay and Donny van de Beek in the summer. They signed Manuel Ugarte, but were hopeful of signing more cover in the midfield, especially with Casemiro’s form dwindling.

The main option for a long time seemed to be former Juventus man Rabiot, who became available on a free this summer.

And according to L’Equipe, United approached the free agent in an attempt to sign him, but were unable to do so. It is said that they made great efforts to get Rabiot through the door, as did West Ham.

However, his wage demands were too high, and he has since decided to join Marseille, in a return to France.

There, he will play with former United man Mason Greenwood, who has been at the club since the summer, and has already bagged five goals and an assist in four games.

Rabiot is said to have demanded £12.6million as a signing on fee alone.

United’s failure to land the Frenchman has led to him signing a two-year deal with Marseille. That the French side were willing and able to pay for than United is something of a shock.

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The Red Devils are one of world football’s richest sides. But they have spent a lot of money of late, with Sir Jim Ratcliffe looking to enact his vision of taking the club back to the top of the world.

While Marseille have signed a good deal of talent, they have not spent nearly as much as United, so may well have had more to burn on Rabiot.

Marseille are currently second to Paris Saint-Germain in the Ligue 1 table, and that they have signed a man who has won the division on six occasions can only be good for their chances of toppling the giants.

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