Bayern Munich in contact with Juventus midfielder Adrien Rabiot

According to information from Sport Bild’s Christian Falk and Tobi Altschaffl, Bayern Munich is in contact with Juventus midfielder Adrien Rabiot regarding a potential transfer. They also add that contact with the club and the player has never completely broken dating, back to 2019, as that’s how long Bayern has possessed an interest in the French international.

Thomas Tuchel is very much a fan of Rabiot and has experience working with the player during his tenure as manager of Paris Saint-Germain, which stretched from 2018-2020 before he took over at Chelsea FC. For a brief period, Rabiot was suspended from playing by PSG for some of his off-pitch behavior following a Champions League loss to Manchester United at the Parc des Princes. Prior to the suspension, Rabiot had been out of favor at the club and had little to no playing time, but Tuchel insists he personally had nothing to do with the suspension decision and that it came from the club’s higher ups.

Tuchel has made it clear that, in addition to bringing in a top class striker to the club this summer, he wants to bring in a defensive, No. 6 midfielder. This isn’t exactly Rabiot’s go-to role, as he’s more of a central midfielder than a defensive midfielder, though he has sometimes been deputized as a CDM at Juventus and he did occupy that role more often at PSG.

Rabiot’s current contract with Juventus expires this summer and Bayern could technically sign him as a free agent this summer if they concretely pursue him. But, would a transfer for the Frenchmen make sense for Bayern in the long run?

Would a Rabiot transfer make sense?

Even if Bayern offloads Ryan Gravenberch this summer, there’s a plethora of non-defensive midfielders in the squad, especially with the new notion that Tuchel wants Joshua Kimmich to be more involved offensively and play less as a No. 6. With Konrad Laimer joining from RB Leipzig this summer, Bayern would add more depth to their midfield ranks without a defensive midfielder.

Sure, one of Laimer or Rabiot could occupy the number 6 role, but that’s not where either of them are best suited and Tuchel has clearly defined the defensive midfield role as a point of emphasis this summer — a player that’s strong, physical, and strong in the challenge.

For what it’s worth, a Rabiot transfer doesn’t seem to make much sense unless Gravenberch and perhaps even Leon Goretzka would be sold in the very near future, freeing up some depth for a player like Rabiot.