Arsenal overtake Manchester United in race to sign 29-year-old midfielder: Reports

Arsenal have reportedly overtaken their domestic rivals Manchester United in the race to sign midfielder Adrien Rabiot. The 29-year-old Frenchman is a free agent after seeing out his deal with Juventus.

Rabiot was most recently in action with France at Euro 2024 - where he appeared in five games - as Les Bleus lost 2-1 to eventual winners Spain in the semi-final in Munich.

The 29-year-old has had a decent five-year spell with the Bianconeri. He won one Serie A and two Coppa Italia titles - contributing 22 goals and 15 assists in 212 games across competitions - since arriving in 2019 from PSG, where he won six Ligue 1 titles.

As per teamTALK, the Gunners have surpassed United to become the frontrunners in the race for Rabiot. The report also mentions interest from Liverpool, Inter Milan and AC Milan, but the Frenchman is apparently interested in an Old Trafford move.

Rabiot seemingly wants to earn £10.5 annual wages wherever he joins, with the Gunners moving to the top of the queue to snap up the much sought-after free agent.

It's pertinent to note that Juve wanted to tie Rabiot down to a new long-term deal, but the Frenchman wasn't interested, eventually leaving on a free transfer at the end of June.

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What's next for Arsenal and Manchester United?

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta

Both Arsenal and Manchester United have fared decently in pre-season Having commenced their pre-season with a 1-1 draw with Bournemouth in Los Angeles, the Gunners beat United 2-1 at the SoFi Stadium, also in LA.

However, Mikel Arteta's side fell 2-1 to Liverpool at the Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia to end their US tour. They next take on Bayer Levekusen at the Emirates on August 7 before closing their pre-season against Olympique Lyonnais four days later, also at home.

Meanwhile, United commenced their pre-season with a surprise last-gasp 1-0 loss to Rosenborg in Norway before beating Rangers 2-0. However, Erik ten Hag's side commenced their US tour with a 2-1 loss to the Gunners before beating Real Betis 3-2.

The Red Devils wind up their pre-season against Liverpool on Saturday (August 3) at the William-Brice Stadium in South Carolina before taking on Manchester City in the FA Community Shield seven days later.

Manchester United open their new Premier League campaign at home to Fulham on August 16, while the Gunners do so at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers on the same day.