Barcelona will reportedly have to splash out €40m in order to prise Adrien Rabiot away from Paris Saint-Germain in January.
The 23-year-old will become a free agent when his current PSG contract expires at the end of the season, and so it would appear as though the Ligue 1 champions could look to avoid losing him for nothing by offloading him in the winter transfer window.
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With that in mind, Calciomercato report that PSG want €40m for him in January, with Barcelona specifically mentioned as an interested party along with Juventus.
That seems like a hefty fee for a player who is set to be available for nothing just six months later, and so it remains to be seen whether or not the French outfit are forced to lower their demands and accept a more realistic fee instead.
Rabiot would certainly be an ideal fit at the Nou Camp though given his technical quality and creativity in possession, and so it’s easy to see why Barcelona would be interested and why they would perhaps be eager to sign him in January if possible.
Nevertheless, the smart financial move would surely be to wait until the summer, as they could even start negotiations with Rabiot over personal terms from January 1 onwards and prise him away.
Provided that they’re willing to be patient and can avoid any rival clubs beating them to his signature, it would be no surprise if Barcelona look to put an agreement in place to sign Rabiot next summer and avoid having to splash out on a transfer fee to PSG.