Having just got rid of one troublesome Frenchman, Manchester United could be about to lumber themselves with another.
The departure of Paul Pogba and others over the summer has really left the cupboard bare for new manager Erik ten Hag when it comes to midfield options.
With United no closer in their efforts to extract Frenkie de Jong – the Ten Hag’s No 1 transfer target – from Barcelona, they have turned to Juventus outcast Adrien Rabiot, who is available for £15million.
Manchester United are poised to sign Adrien Rabiot from Juventus in a deal worth £15million
The France international will ease United’s midfield issues but can stir up trouble
Rabiot, 27, isn’t especially popular at Juventus and hasn’t reproduced the form that established his reputation during the seven years at Paris Saint-Germain that preceded it.
But it isn’t just on-field lethargy that has tarnished the reputation of a player once considered France’s golden boy.
Off-field rows and indiscretions – not only by Rabiot himself but also his formidable mother and agent Veronique – have given him a reputation within the game of being a tricky customer.
Rabiot’s mother and agent Veronique is a formidable figure who has caused issues for clubs
United manager Erik ten Hag needs new bodies in midfield and Rabiot will help plug the gap
But Ten Hag and United are increasingly desperate. Although the club insist their interest in Rabiot was firm prior to Sunday’s season-opening defeat to Brighton, the timing still makes it appear like a reactionary move.
And there are plenty of items on Rabiot’s rap sheet that could make United live to regret their decision.
Qatar… but not with mum
Rabiot was just about making his breakthrough into the PSG senior squad, having come through their academy, in 2012.
The club wanted Rabiot to travel to Qatar with the squad for a mid-season tour but, unusually, his mother wanted to come along with him.
Enter Veronique, who is Rabiot’s agent and an uncompromising one. She took charge of his career after his father, Michel Provost, suffered a stroke in 2007 that left him with locked-in syndrome. Michel is paralysed but fully conscious.
Her insistence on accompanying the tour led to friction and Rabiot was duly sent out on loan to Toulouse.
Even more bizarrely, when there, she reportedly insisted on attending all of their training sessions.
Rabiot slides in on future team-mate Neymar during a Champions League…