If the day ends in “Y” then Adrien Rabiot has probably been linked with a move away. He is linked to Chelsea now in a move that never actually happens.
It is incredibly hard to remember a time when Adrien Rabiot has not been linked with a move away from Paris Saint Germain. His career is a constant refrain of not playing enough or not being paid enough or not being respected enough.
Since he was first promoted to the PSG first team, he has been linked to every club with title ambitions in the top five European leagues. It could be Bayern Munich one day, or Barcelona the next, perhaps a Juventus or Manchester United thrown in for good measure. But something always falls apart at the last second only for the rumors to start again the next day.
He is currently being linked to Chelsea (not for the first time) and Juventus. Per the usual, this rumor is likely to die down again with minimal fanfare. But even if it is finally, for the first time ever, a legit rumor, it makes little sense for Chelsea.
It is worth noting that Rabiot is a good player. And he knows it. That is why he has often complained about a lack of playing time at PSG. It is why he complained when he did not make the World Cup squad (as to who he thought he should be called over, well that is anyone’s guess).
But the fact of the matter is that Rabiot could play every single minute of a season and he would still find something to complain about. Maybe he does not like the current manager. Maybe he feels like he should be paid more. Or maybe he goes with the generic “I am looking for a new challenge”.
Regardless, nothing ever seems enough for Rabiot. And while PSG might be willing to put up with that, other clubs might not. Pretending he joins another club, how long until he makes the same complaints again and is linked away again? Probably not too long.
Is this the work over an incredibly overzealous agent? Perhaps, but Rabiot has allowed it to continue for years. And considering how successful PSG has been and how much Rabiot has played in recent seasons, other clubs may look at his complaints and laugh.
Now, if he came to Chelsea, it is unlikely that he would do so as a starter. Perhaps if Mateo Kovacic does not make his loan permanent, but even then he might have a fight on his hands. And how long will Maurizio Sarri put up with rumors and quotes from him about not playing enough or not being respected?
Furthermore, Chelsea is well locked up in midfield at the moment. In fact, Chelsea perhaps has one or two too many midfielders as things stand. Adding another with an incredibly high opinion of himself and the demands to boot is asking for trouble.
Rabiot would not add anything to Chelsea and would potentially take a lot away. Give this rumor a day or two to die down and then he will be linked to Manchester City and Real Madrid next week.