Gabriel Marcotti has issued a warning about reported Liverpool transfer target Adrien Rabiot and has claimed the Frenchman has been ‘really poor’ for the majority of his time at Juventus.
The 27-year-old, who joined the Serie A outfit from PSG in 2019, is out of contract at the Allianz Stadium in the summer and Football Insider are reporting that the Reds are interested in his services as Jurgen Klopp aims to rebuild is midfield.
Italian football expert Marcotti has warned Liverpool fans, however, that the World Cup winning midfielder is not the answer to the problems they’ve faced this season.
He told ESPN FC (via Football Fancast): “Rabiot was, I think, one of my least favourite players for a number of years, just because you look at his ability, the whole package and everything, and you think, wow, he should be really good.
“Instead, I think at Juve mostly, he’s been really poor – until this season, when all of a sudden, and I think it coincided with an uptick with the French national team as well, he’s shown a ton of personality, he’s shown a ton of responsibility.
“He’s been, I think, one of Juve’s standouts this season. What you have to weigh up [for] anybody signing Rabiot is, is this kind of a one-season wonder for him where all the bits come together, or has he turned the corner?”
Jude Bellingham is Liverpool’s ‘priority’ transfer target for the summer but with recent reports suggesting that the Reds may be priced out of a move for the Borussia Dortmund star, Rabiot has been linked with a move to Anfield alongside the likes of Mason Mount and Ruben Neves.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita are expected to leave Liverpool at the end of the season while James Milner is also out of contract in the summer meaning that Klopp will need to sign more than just one midfielder.
The Juventus man would bring a lot of experience to our midfield and although Marcotti isn’t so sure, we believe that securing his signature on a free deal would be a quality bit of business.
The versatile midfielder has nine goals and four assists to his name this term (across all competitions) and they’re the sort of numbers that we should be expecting from our players in the middle of the park.