Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe has reportedly made his move for Juventus midfielder Adrien Rabiot, whose contract with the Serie A outfit is up for expiry this month.
What's the latest on Adrien Rabiot to Newcastle?
That's following recent news from prominent Italian outlet Corriere dello Sport (via Sport Witness), who claim that the Magpies have indeed commenced an approach for the France international ahead of his contractual conclusion with the Old Lady.
The 28-year-old is a robust and imposing midfielder and would be a shrewd addition to the Newcastle ranks ahead of Champions League competition next year.
Manchester United have maintained an interest in Rabiot after failing in their pursuit one year ago, but the Tyneside club are headed towards a deal for the ace and will now look to ramp up the gas and bring him to St. James' Park.
How would Adrien Rabiot perform at Newcastle?
Quirkily described as a "wardrobe" for his imposing physicality by Gianluigi Buffon, the 6 foot 2 machine would enter a robust Newcastle midfield and bring his distinctive set of skills to enrich the dynamism on Tyneside, playing to the favour of the likes of midfield conductor Bruno Guimaraes.
The Brazilian signed for the Toon for £40m from Lyon in January 2022 and has arguably been the centrepiece of the club's blistering success over the past 18 months after making 57 appearances and registering 16 direct contributions.
The £120k-per-week Magpie has been heralded as "magnificent" by his manager, and has succeeded resoundingly as the orchestrator of Howe's system, recording an average rating of 7.17 – as per Sofascore – completing 85% of his passes, making 1.3 key passes, 2.4 tackles and 1.1 interceptions per match and succeeding with 63% of his dribbles and 57% of his duels.
The all-engulfing nature of his work as the nucleus would provide Rabiot with the perfect partner to exhibit the full scale of his skill set, with the industrious colossus having scored 11 times this term and ranking among the top 4% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for non-penalty goals, and the top 16% for progressive carries, clearances and aerials won per 90, as per FBref.
Praised as the "complete midfielder" himself by France manager Didier Deschamps, Rabiot is noted as a 'similar player' as per FBref, to Newcastle's box-crashing ace Joelinton, which further illustrates the suitability for Howe's system, and given the increase in competition next year, the Toon manager will want to make signings who can adapt to the system and maintain the cohesive equipoise.
Rabiot would be a fantastic addition to a burgeoning outfit, and while he may be on £148k-per-week with the Old Lady, the fact that Newcastle can bypass paying a transfer fee by snapping him up in less than two weeks suggests that it could be an auspicious move indeed, enhancing the centre and leaving ample room to make further swoops and continue the ascent to the very top.