Arsene Wenger looks to France for young talent again.
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Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is looking to raid his native France for young talent once again, with the signing of 18-year-old PSG midfielder Adrien Rabiot.
The tall central midfield man is a France Under-19 international and has spent much of the last season on loan with Ligue 1 side Toulouse, due to immense competition for places at moneybags PSG.
Rabiot is highly rated by the French champions, but is likely to find it challenging breaking into their star-studded first team next season as they will surely continue to spend vast amounts of money in the summer transfer window.
This could lead Arsenal to make a move. Although the Gunners have largely been making a change of approach to their spending this summer, targeting some more expensive and more well-established names, they are still keen to recruit the world’s best young talent and find a bargain when possible.
Rabiot could be available for between £3 and £4million, and has shown he already has the ability to become a regular member of Arsenal’s squad, as he is able to play in a defensive midfield role, or in a slightly more advanced position, rotating with the likes of Mikel Arteta, Aaron Ramsey and Jack Wilshere.
The Gunners are still lacking depth in that position following last summer’s sale of Alex Song to Barcelona, and Abou Diaby’s poor injury record. Rabiot could possibly be brought in as a replacement for Diaby, whose days at the Emirates Stadium are surely up due to his inability to stay fit.
The youngster will be likely to welcome the opportunity to continue his development at a top club under a manager famed for getting the best out of young players, as he looks to make this step up in his professional career. In limited appearances for PSG this season, he still managed 1 goal and 3 assists for Carlo Ancelotti’s side, before spending the second half of the season out on loan.
Arsenal have been linked quite strongly with another Toulouse midfielder Etienne Capoue, and will also look to bring in a more experienced player to play alongside Mikel Arteta in midfield, though their priorities at the moment are upfront, as they look to add Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuain to their strike force having already secured another young talent from France in the form of Auxerre striker Yaya Sanogo.
Rabiot’s move will still have to be approved by the club’s new manager, with Ancelotti attempting to leave to take the Real Madrid job this summer.