Why Adrien Rabiot would be a perfect replacement for Cesc Fabregas
Chelsea need another midfielder on their books but given their riches, who should the Blues target, especially in January? Few players come to mind, including the likes of Nicolo Barella, Lorenzo Pellegrini, and of course, contract rebel Adrien Rabiot.
The Calciomercato have recently linked the Frenchman with a move to Stamford Bridge, despite Barcelona being the front-runners to sign the 23-year-old.
The Catalan giants have been heavily linked (h/t the Guardian) with the PSG man after the Ligue 1 giants had revealed (h/t AS) that Rabiot won’t be signing a new contract with them. So with his current deal expiring at the end of the season, the highly rated midfielder could go anywhere he wants to.
But with PSG interested in receiving some money for him, the Mirror has reported that Chelsea have contracted the club in order to get a deal done now.
This would mean a massive blow to Barcelona, who have so far failed to agree on a deal with the 23-year-old midfielder. For Chelsea, however, it means they’d have to part with a decent amount of money for a class midfielder.
However, given his abilities and composure on the ball, the deal would be a bargain compared to what he can offer the Blues, and Rabiot would be Cesc Fabregas’ perfect replacement.
A regista by trade, the former Manchester City youth star has been used as a central midfielder for PSG alongside Marco Verratti.
However, Rabiot’s ability to dictate the play and his eye for a pass allows him to play in a double pivot or even as a single pivot for the Ligue 1 outfit and alongside Jorginho for Chelsea, he could do a lot of damage.
This means that both Mateo Kovacic and Ross Barkley do see a reduction in their game time for the club, but neither star has impressed in recent months. While the former Everton man started the season well, the candle has burned out and it shows no signs of re-igniting at the moment. A move for Rabiot is a great one for all parties, including the 23-year-old himself.
Read More: This Euro-winning Portuguese star would be an outstanding signing for Chelsea and Sarri must get him
Given that PSG have frozen him out of the team, losing six months is a devastating problem for any footballer. For PSG, on the other hand, losing him for free means not getting anything for their time and money spent in developing the star and for Chelsea, they get a contract rebel/great midfielder at a cut-rate price.