Arsenal pushing hard to sign 27-year-old World Cup star - Reports

Arsenal are pushing hard to sign Juventus midfielder Adrien Rabiot in the January transfer window, as per TuttoMercatoWeb (h/t Football-Talk).

The France international is in the final year of his contract at the Allianz Stadium and could leave as a free agent next summer. He could also open negotiations with foreign clubs in January, which would come as a boost for the Gunners.

Rabiot came close to joining Manchester United this summer, but the deal fell through as personal terms could not be agreed upon. It seems that the Frenchman could finally return to England in 2023, with Tottenham Hotspur also interested in him.

Rabiot spent a year at Manchester City's youth academy before leaving them on a free transfer to Creteil's youth team in the summer of 2009. He made himself a household name during his stay at Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) from 2010 to 2019.

He made 163 senior appearances for Les Parisiens, winning six Ligue 1 titles among other domestic silverware before leaving for Juventus. Rabiot was included in manager Didier Deschamps' 26-man France squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Adrien Rabiot scored and assisted one goal each and played in six out of a possible seven games for his nation in Qatar, where they finished second. The Gunners could benefit from adding a player of his skillset and experience to their midfield.

There is a dearth of quality central midfielders in manager Mikel Arteta's squad. Albert Sambi-Lokonga has failed to impress with his performances, while Thomas Partey's fitness issues at Arsenal have been well-documented.

Mohamed Elneny could arguably be upgraded on in the middle of the park, and he is already in the final season of his contract at the Emirates.

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Juventus eye Lazio star to replace Arsenal target Adrien Rabiot

Juventus are reportedly aiming to sign long-term transfer target Sergej Milinkovic-Savic from Lazio as a potential replacement for Arsenal target Rabiot.

As per Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t CalcioMercato), the Old Lady have allocated a budget of €40 million to sign the Serbia international. While a transfer is likely to happen next summer, a deal could be put in place as early as January.

Juventus will also know that January will be their last chance to cash in on Rabiot if he doesn't renew his contract. This could come as a boost for Arsenal, who can then expect to sign the midfielder on a potential cut-price deal.