France midfielder Adrien Rabiot has been “indefinitely benched” by Paris Saint-Germain, which should pique the interest of Liverpool ahead of the summer.
Rabiot is heading into the final six months of his contract with the Ligue 1 leaders, and has been regularly linked with a switch to Merseyside in 2019.
Back in September, ESPN FC covered a story from French journalist Julien Laurens which claimed Liverpool had “made contact” with the 23-year-old over a possible free transfer.
Laurens added that Rabiot and Jurgen Klopp had “already spoken on the phone to discuss a move,” with the manager “very keen,” having failed to sign him when he was at Borussia Dortmund.
Following this up in an interview with The Anfield Wrap, Laurens described the deal as a “no brainer,” and floated the idea of “finding some sort of agreement with PSG as early as January.”
This could be increasingly likely, with PSG sporting director Antero Henrique telling Yahoo Sport that Rabiot had made it clear he would be leaving on a Bosman in July, and as a result would not be considered for action.
“At this point, [talks won’t continue]. It was a decision made by the club following a meeting I had with the player,” Henrique explained.
“The player informed me that he would not sign a contract and that he wanted to leave the club [as a free agent] at the end of the season, ie. at the end of his contract.
“For the player, this will have a very clear consequence: he will remain on the bench for an indefinite period.”
Henrique added that the two parties had held “positive exchanges” in previous months, and that PSG had “accepted all the conditions of the player” in terms of his role at the club.
“It seems that the player and his representative have misled us for several months,” he explained.
“I must add that this situation is disrespectful for both the club and the fans, especially from a player who has played in our colours from the academy to the first team.”
Interestingly, Yahoo Sport claim that while Henrique would not divulge their plans for Rabiot in the upcoming transfer window, PSG will not rule out a January exit.
It remains to be seen whether Liverpool will emerge as a suitor, particularly given the arrivals of Fabinho and Naby Keita in the summer, but Laurens’ report came after they joined.
With question marks over the future of Adam Lallana, and James Milner entering the final year of his own contract next summer, it could be that Klopp is eyeing further reinforcement.
Rabiot is a boyhood Red, and speaking in 2017 he expressed his desire to play in the Premier League.
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