Reports: Juventus closing in on contract extension with Adrien Rabiot

It’s the middle of August last summer. Juventus’ season has just gotten underway and there is still transfer rumors galore surrounding a handful of players who may or may not be on their way in or out of the club. The most notable one, arguably, was that of midfielder Adrien Rabiot, who was basically a contract agreement away from trading in Serie A for the Premier League.

It appears as though that road isn’t going to be tested once again.

According to Sky Italia’s Gianluca Di Marzio and others in Italy on Monday night, Rabiot is set to spur Manchester United’s late contract offer in favor of sticking with Juventus for another season. That contract extension is one we already pretty much know the details of — one year for the same €7 million net salary that he has earned over the last four years. Di Marzio says that things are just down to the final details between Juventus and Rabiot’s camp. Over the last 24 hours, it had been reported by The Athletic that Rabiot’s Momgent Veronique had been in contact with United over a potential deal, one that was certainly longer than the one he will sign with Juventus.

That contract signing for Rabiot could come as early as Wednesday, according to reports.

For so many weeks it looked as though Rabiot — whose contract that he signed in the summer of 2019 expires in a few days — was on his way out, with so many folks expecting a big-money Premier League offer was coming his way. We don’t know the full details of what United were offering in this last-ditch effort to lure him to England, but those like Sky Italia have made it sound like it’s both more money and a longer contract that he will be earning at Juventus next season.

Color me surprised.

Color me very surprised.

It has only been recently in which Rabiot sticking around has come into the picture. Juventus’ one-year contract offer was described as “the best one on the table” by Fabrizio Romano ... but that was before we heard of any last-minute interest from Manchester United. It appears as though Rabiot’s focus became — at least over the last few days — to remain with Juventus and continue to work with Max Allegri, even if it’s on a one-year deal

There are also some in the Italian press who are thinking that Rabiot’s return might not mean that Juve’s shopping in the midfield is suddenly done with, with Lazio’s Sergej Milinković-Savić certainly going to be the name that is linked the most consistently.