Liverpool are interested in signing Adrien Rabiot from Italian giants Juventus, according to reports, with the midfield ace available on a free transfer at the end of the campaign.
What's the latest on Adrien Rabiot to Liverpool?
Liverpool have held an interest in the France World Cup-winning midfielder for some time now, and could clinch his services for free when his contract in Turin expires at the end of the campaign.
And now, Rabiot has added fuel to the fire by revealing his endearment for the Merseyside outfit, saying to Tuttosport (via The Mirror): "I loved Liverpool a lot because I was a big fan of Steven Gerrard, who made me dream… and so therefore I followed the Reds."
The 27-year-old was of interest to Manchester United in the summer, having reached an agreement for a £15m deal before pulling out at the eleventh hour, stating that he felt "fortunate" that a deal was not concluded.
Should Liverpool sign Rabiot?
Hailed as “elite” by journalist Dom Booth, Rabiot has been a prominent name within top-level football for the past several years, racking up 200 appearances with Paris Saint-Germain before cementing an important role with the Old Lady.
This season, the midfield machine has been in fine form, scoring nine goals and providing four assists from 33 matches across all competitions for Juve, also hailed as “the world's best midfielder” by journalist Scott Saunders for his performances at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Branded a "footballing giraffe" by Paulo Di Canio for his failure to exert his authority as an imposing presence – Rabiot stands at 6 foot 2 but averages just 1.3 aerials won per match across the duration of his career, as per WhoScored, perhaps illustrating a hesitancy to be quite as enterprising as his physical attributes as might be desired.
However, impressive as the £152k-per-week star's exploits might seem at present, Reds manager Jurgen Klopp would be wise to steer clear of a move, with Rabiot's prospective arrival potentially poignantly emulating the recent loan acquisition of Arthur Melo.
Arthur left Juventus and his team-mate Rabiot to pen a short-term deal with Liverpool in the dying embers of the summer transfer window, but injuries and a lack of robustness have prohibited him from even scratching the surface at the prestigious outfit, playing just 13 senior minutes all term.
With both players on Juventus' books, Liverpool must be wary of replicating the deal and exacerbating their seasonal struggles, especially considering the Italian giants have been a shadow of their former selves over the past few years.
Rabiot is riding a vibrant wave this term, exhibiting a Midas touch in front of goal, but aside from his goal-scoring escapades, there is not much he can offer that would truly contribute to Liverpool's ascension back to prominence.
As per FBref, the "wardrobe" – as remarked by Gianluigi Buffon – ranks among the top 19% of midfielders across Europe's big five leagues for progressive carries, the top 21% for successful take-ons, the top 20% for clearances and the top 26% for blocks per 90, which does indeed illuminate the wide scope of his skill set, but he would unlikely be the optimum pivot to procure this summer.
For example, Harvey Elliott ranks among the top 9% of positional peers for blocks and the top 5% for progressive carries, while the subpar Naby Keita ranks highly in such metrics; the top 2% of midfielders for blocks and the top 8% for progressive carries.
With a midfield overhaul paramount to re-establishing control in the centre for the Merseyside giants, Klopp and co should meticulously devise an approach to rekindle the vigour that has evaporated at Anfield this year, and from the plethora of avenues possible to delve down, signing Rabiot is not the answer to Liverpool's woes.