Exclusive: Manchester United considering relaxing transfer rule for free agents, Newcastle follow suit

Manchester United and Newcastle are both interested in free-agent midfielder Adrien Rabiot, who is prioritising a move to the Premier League for his next club. CaughtOffside understands.

The France international remains a free agent after leaving Juventus earlier this summer when his contract expired and he is said to be keen on a new challenge in England, having rejected interest from clubs in Turkey and Saudi Arabia.

As has been widely reported, CaughtOffside also understands that Rabiot has rejected interest from Galatasaray, while a potential move to Al Nassr does not seem feasible as he was on their list earlier this summer but is no longer, as they could not make room for another foreign player.

Rabiot himself doesn’t seem to be a big fan of Turkey or Saudi Arabia either. He would rather play in the Premier League. United and Newcastle seem the most likely options for the 29-year-old.

Rabiot transfer: where will the free agent end up?

Rabiot could be an option for MUFC. The club is discussing internally the possibility of deviating from its current structure and strategy, which mainly involves signing younger players.

Although Rabiot is soon to turn 30, it makes sense to make an exception for the free agent. It would be crucial to give the struggling Casemiro an upgrade, while Erik ten Hag has probably not done a good job of replacing the departing duo of Scott McTominay and Sofyan Amrabat.

More stories / Latest news

Rabiot excelled at Juventus and you can imagine they would have been happy to keep him. But it seems he is now ready for a new challenge. It would be exciting to see him test himself at a top Premier League club.

Newcastle would certainly do well to bring in this experienced talent to add a real winning mentality to their squad.