West Ham recently showed interest in Marseille-bound Adrien Rabiot – Get French Football News

As confirmed by the club, Adrien Rabiot (29) is Olympique de Marseille-bound. A free agent since the expiry of his contract at Juventus at the start of July, the France international has an agreement in principle to join the Ligue 1 club, and he is now set to undergo a medical ahead of the completion of the move.

As revealed by his mother and agent, Veronique Rabiot, extending his contract at Juventus was never an option. Other suitors arose over the course of the summer, however, it is thought that wage demands were a stumbling block for many clubs. Interest from the Premier League, notably from Manchester United and Liverpool, never resulted in a proposal. 

Benatia and De Zerbi convince Rabiot of OM’s project

The transfer windows shut and still, Rabiot remained a free agent. However, more importantly for the midfielder, the date for the submission of UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and UEFA Europa Conference League lists also passed. This essentially closed the door to the former Paris Saint-Germain midfielder joining one of Europe’s elite, as per L’Équipe. 

After that, two clubs notably showed interest, according to L’Équipe: Galatasaray, and perhaps more surprisingly, West Ham. However, discussions with Marseille sporting director Mehdi Benatia, as well as manager Roberto De Zerbi swayed Rabiot towards the Vélodrome. 

GFFN | Luke Entwistle