Manchester United's proposed deal for Juventus midfielder Adrien Rabiot has reportedly collapsed due to the Frenchman's hefty wage demands.
The Red Devils are determined to add a new name to the engine room before the summer transfer window shuts and had allegedly identified Rabiot as a priority target.
The 27-year-old's contract at the Allianz Stadium only has one year left to run, leading to hopes of a cut-price deal amid fan backlash from the Old Trafford faithful.
Man United had reportedly reached an agreement with Juventus for the transfer of Rabiot for an initial £15m, which could have risen to £20m with add-ons.
The former Paris Saint-Germain lynchpin would have therefore departed the Old Lady after racking up six goals and eight assists in 129 appearances for the club since arriving in 2019.
However, BBC Sport claims that the Red Devils could not negotiate a satisfactory wage package with Rabiot and his mother Veronique Rabiot, who also acts as his agent.
The pair were allegedly demanding far more than what Man United were prepared to offer, even though the 20-time English champions were willing to make Rabiot one of their highest earners.
As a result, the France international's move to the Theatre of Dreams is off, but the report does add that a switch is not completely dead in the water and may be revived at a later stage.
Erik ten Hag's side are now on the hunt for alternative options to compete with Fred, Scott McTominay and Donny van de Beek in the middle of the park but are yet to make significant headway in their efforts to convince Barcelona's Frenkie de Jong to sign for the club.
The Dutchman is still resisting Man United's efforts to prise him away from Camp Nou while the issue of his £15.2m deferred wages remains unsolved, and the Red Devils' initial £72m agreement is now believed to have expired.
Ten Hag's side will therefore be forced to put together a new financial package if they are to continue their pursuit of the Netherlands international, who is also being courted by Chelsea.
Despite their failure to sign a new holding midfielder so far - as well as losing Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic - United are supposedly open to letting James Garner leave the club.
The 21-year-old was a standout performer in Nottingham Forest's promotion-winning side last season and was handed opportunities to impress Ten Hag in pre-season.
However, Garner has only been an unused substitute in the Premier League so far this season, and a fee of £14m could be enough for United to sanction his exit amid links with Tottenham Hotspur, Everton and Leeds United.
The 20-time English champions have already lost to Brentford and Brighton & Hove Albion this season and will aim to avoid kicking off the 2022-23 campaign with three consecutive defeats when they welcome Liverpool to Old Trafford on Monday night. body check tags ::
