Barcelona are looking decidedly short in midfield after a season-ending injury to Marc Bernal, and long-term issues for Gavi and Frenkie de Jong. It seems Adrien Rabiot is linked to Barcelona most summers, but this summer in particular it is no surprise he has been suggested as an option.

One of the key reasons being that he is a free agent, and could still sign with the Blaugrana. However MD report that his mother and agent Veronique continues to demand €10m in wages for her son’s services, something that puts him well beyond Barcelona’s ability to register new players.

If he were to sign for Barcelona, it would have to be on a tiny salary until the end of the year, or a still reduced deal with a low release clause. The alternative is that he is registered using the emergency injury rule, instead of the likes of Frenkie de Jong.

Galatasaray, Manchester United and Al-Nassr have all been linked with Rabiot, but the former Juventus man is yet to be able to find an agreement with any of them.

While he would likely be valuable strength in depth for Barcelona, for the job that they need him to do, which is to play the deepest midfield role, they will have to evaluate whether the jump between Marc Casado and Eric Garcia is big enough to warrant the outlay. Equally, if de Jong does require surgery on his ankle, then that would help them make a decision too.