West Ham tried and failed to ‘seduce’ French international Adrien Rabiot this summer as they attempted to hijack the midfielder’s potential move to Manchester United.
The 29-year-old has now returned to his homeland, with Marseille set to sign him after his contract with Juventus expired.
Rabiot, who has made 48 appearances for France, is expected to put pen to paper on a two-year deal with the Ligue 1 club this week.
The former Paris Saint-Germain player will bolster Marseille’s midfield, having played 35 times for Juventus last season, scoring five goals and providing three assists from central midfield.
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano shared the news on social media platform X, writing:
“Olympique Marseille have booked travel and medical for Adrien Rabiot as he will sign a two-year deal at the club. The project presented by Longoria, Benatia and de Zerbi has convinced the French international, as revealed yesterday.”
French newspaper L’Equipe also reported on the transfer and gave further insight into why Rabiot didn’t move to the Premier League, despite several clubs showing interest. Rabiot, whose contract with Juventus expired on June 30th, had been searching for the right project for several months.
While Manchester United and Atletico Madrid appeared to be the frontrunners, given their European football status, West Ham were also keen to bring the Frenchman to the London Stadium.
However, according to L’Equipe, West Ham’s lack of European football made their approach unlikely to succeed. The Hammers were joined by Turkish side Galatasaray in trying to secure Rabiot’s services, but both efforts were in vain.
Although Rabiot had received interest from Saudi Arabia, that option never seemed a realistic one.
More recently, it was rumoured that Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur had been offered the player’s services, with teamTALK reporting that both North London clubs were contacted about a potential free transfer. However, no deals materialised.
Negotiations over the summer were complicated by Rabiot’s high wage demands. However, as the season progressed and with no club secured, Rabiot appeared willing to lower his financial expectations.
This move became urgent after the midfielder was left out of France’s Nations League squad, increasing the pressure on him to find a new club.
Now, with Marseille set to finalise the deal, Rabiot is poised for a fresh start in Ligue 1, leaving West Ham and others pondering what might have been.