Erik ten Hag had planned to add quality in central midfield and a 2-1 loss against Brighton in their Premier League opener on Sunday may have opened his eyes to unravel the hidden issues.
The Athletic reported that Juventus midfielder Rabiot has emerged as a leading option for the Red Devils as they look to add to the squad.
And the delays in Frenkie de Jong’s deal who is their top midfield target could push United to action.
The Red Devils’ management has been on de Jong’s transfer negotiation for three-months, with the pursuit of the Dutch playmaker appearing to be going well after they agreed a £71million fee with Xavi’s side in July, but unpaid wages owed to De Jong and the player’s willingness to move to Old Trafford have held up the move.
Barcelona president Joan Laporta on Sunday maintained that the club wants to keep the the 25-year-old and that he wants to stay at the Nou Camp.
Rabiot is into the last year of his contract with the Italian giants and it is likely that a team outside Italy could approach to sign him in summer 2023 on a free transfer.
And Juventus could be more likely to sell the 29-cap international for less than the market rate rather than lose him for nothing next year.
There has been reported issues involving the 27-year-old and Juventus hierarchy as Sportsmail reported in late July that Rabiot was being forced to train with Juventus’ Under-23 side after being left out of their pre-season tour squad due to unspecified ‘personal reasons’, amid transfer interest from French sides PSG and Lyon.
