Adrien Rabiot touted for Juventus extension despite Manchester United interest

The 28-year-old had been widely perceived to be ending his stay in Turin this summer with his contract due to expire at the end of June.

However, a last-minute turnaround has seemingly seen Rabiot agree to a contract extension with the Old Lady which closes the opportunity for a free transfer to the Premier League.

The Frenchman was also heavily linked with a move to the Red Devils last summer, but the move collapsed in the final hours as the Italians refused to sell the midfield metronome.

According to reports Manchester United have been prioritising the signing of England midfielder Mason Mount from Premier League rivals Chelsea. However, the Blues have rejected three bids already for the 24-year-old.

This led Eric Ten Hag's team to shift their attention back to trying to sign Rabiot, buoyed with the fact that Juventus will not have Champions League football next season, but it seems that is not enough to lure the former Paris Saint-Germain star to England.

Rabiot had his best season at Juventus last term, scoring 11 goals whilst providing six assists in all competitions despite the club going trophyless and failing to secure a Champions League spot amid point deduction drama.

United will want to complete their transfer business early this summer after being involved in a long battle to sign Frenkie de Jong from Barcelona last year.

Ten Hag was already aware of the difficulties of signing top English talent upon his arrival from Ajax Amsterdam last summer.

"It looks like English players are quite expensive. It's a fact you cannot deny. In the end, it's about quality," said the Dutch manager.

Manchester United will now have to make a fourth improved bid for Mason Mount or explore the possibility of other signings to strengthen their midfield which was heavily reliant on Casemiro and Christian Eriksen last season.