Former Manchester United captain Rio Ferdinand has branded Adrien Rabiot "a seriously talented footballer" but has conceded that he has concerns over a deal for the Juventus midfielder.
The 20-time English champions have reportedly come to an agreement with Juventus over a move for the France international, with the transfer fee believed to be in the region of £15m.
Man United are now said to be in discussions with Rabiot's camp over personal terms, with the club confident that they will be able to get a deal over the line.
The Red Devils are still said to be in the running for Barcelona's Frenkie de Jong, but Chelsea have now seemingly taken the lead in the race to sign the Netherlands international.
Ferdinand has said that Rabiot will improve Man United, but the former centre-back has concerns over whether he will be the right fit for the club.
"There's no doubting that Rabiot is a seriously talented footballer," Ferdinand told Vibe with Five. "Great left foot, brilliant at carrying the ball and dribbling and taking the ball under pressure, can pass – very well over short distances especially.
"The position Man United probably see playing him is one of the holding players, or an eight. My biggest concern with that is that, if he's going to be an eight, he doesn't score enough goals.
"I think [Scott] McTominay has got more goals over the last couple of seasons than him and he doesn't get enough either. So will the fanbase be happy? Given that they've been going for Frenkie de Jong, Rabiot is obviously the second, third or fourth option.
"They've been waiting for the Frenkie de Jong situation to change and it hasn't so this is a reactive signing. They thought they were getting Frenkie de Jong, 'No, we ain't getting him, we better go for someone else, who's available?' And it's not always the best case scenario when that happens."
Ferdinand has called a deal for the 27-year-old "a risk", but he can see the value in bringing in the midfielder, who has enjoyed a successful career in terms of trophies.
"I think it will be a risk. I don't see the fee being much more than £20m, in today's market it's cheap considering. But at the same time, the biggest concern is: is he right for Manchester United? Is he going to make us a team that's going to challenge stronger for Champions League positions? I don't know," Ferdinand added.
"He's played a lot of games for Juventus recently, he was at Paris Saint-Germain, he's a France international. But for me he's obviously a step down from Frenkie de Jong. Rabiot coming in, I don't think it's as gloomy as everyone thinks. He adds quality, whether he ups the levels on what we've got remains to be seen."
Rabiot has been with Juventus since 2019, moving to the Old Lady on a free transfer following the expiration of his contract at Paris Saint-Germain, and he made 45 appearances for the Italian side last term.
During his time at PSG, the 29-time France international won five Ligue 1 titles, four Coupe de France trophies and five Coupe de la Ligue crowns, while he has lifted the Serie A and Coppa Italia for Juventus.
Rabiot is believed to be asking for €10m (£8.4m) per year on a potential deal at Old Trafford, which would represent a substantial raise on his current deal in Italy. body check tags ::
