SOCCER | JUVENTUS
Juventus evaluating Rabiot-Ceballos swap proposal for Real Madrid
Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri is reportedly looking to offload Adrien Rabiot, with the club considering a possible swap deal option involving Real Madrid's Dani Ceballos.
Adrian Rabiot was billed as a marquee signing when he landed in Turin in 2019, but so far he has failed to live up to expectations, despite being an undisputed starter since his arrival.
Now it appears that new Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri has also been left unimpressed by Rabiot’s performance in this early stage of the season and is reportedly seeking to offload the French midfielder in January.
The Juve coach wants to bring in a strong reinforcement to replace Rabiot and according to Calciomercato, the Serie A giants are looking at the option of proposing a swap deal with Real Madrid involving the 26-year-old Frenchman and Dani Ceballos.
Following his return to Real Madrid after a two-season loan spell at Arsenal, Ceballos has been sidelined with an ankle injury that he picked up during the Tokyo 2020 Olympics this summer and is yet to feature for new coach Carlo Ancelotti. The Spaniard, who faces stiff competition for a regular place in Ancelotti’s XI, has also been linked with a return to Real Betis in recent days.
Rabiot, an old target of Ancelotti
As reported by Calciometro, Rabiot -- who is currently sidelined due to a coronavirus diagnosis that forced him to miss France’s UEFA Nations League final victory over Spain on Sunday -- is a previous desire of Ancelotti, who wanted to sign him for Everton during his 18-month spell at the Merseyside club before joining Madrid.
Allegri is still hoping to get Rabiot back to his best, but if that does not happen in the coming months, the former PSG player could pose an interesting option for Real Madrid, where he would compete with Luka Modric, Toni Kross and Fede Valverde for a starting position in the center of midfield, an area in which Los Blancos have had several casualties so far this season.