Ever since Carlo Ancelotti took over as Everton manager, there have been almost constant transfer links to players from Serie A.
Juventus midfielder Adrien Rabiot has regularly been mentioned as a possible target for the Toffees and it’s no surprise that as the end of the season creeps closer into view, the Frenchman is being talked about as an option again.
According to Il Bianconero (h/t Naveen Ullal of Sport Witness), Rabiot is “at the crossroads” of a potential summer departure from the Turin giants and Everton are noted as a possible destination for him, with Ancelotti said to want the playmaker “immediately.”
Juventus would reportedly want around €30 million in return for the 26-year-old, which would give them a healthy profit on a player they signed for free in the summer of 2019 from Paris Saint-Germain.
I think the bet for Juve when it comes with both Ramsey & Rabiot, is to find a team willing to do a swap for a player at margins of their project so at least both clubs can record a plusvalenza, but moving players with high salaries this summer will be very hard
— David Amoyal (@DavidAmoyal) March 29, 2021
There’s no denying that Rabiot is a talented player, able to glide through phases with the ball and play piercing passes into the final third. If he was to rock up at Goodison Park this summer, he’d bring creativity and composure to the midfield.
Even so, a midfielder in the Frenchman’s mould is unlikely to be near the top of Ancelotti’s shopping list this summer.
While Abdoulaye Doucoure and Allan have improved Everton’s central options, the Toffees still lack a natural holding player, with the aforementioned duo hunters of the ball. Tom Davies has shown some glimpses of thriving in that position, while Jean-Philippe Gbamin may yet be that player, although he’s just returned to fitness from a 597-day layoff.
If Gbamin can prove his worth in that role in the final nine games of the season, then a player in Rabiot’s mould may be something Ancelotti and director of football Marcel Brands look to to add some guile at the hub of the team.
But for now, notwithstanding the obvious talent Rabiot has, there are other areas of the squad that require work first.