Juve head coach Igor Tudor looks highly likely to lose Douglas Luiz to the Premier League, despite an apparent U-turn about keeping the Brazilian ace.
There’s been a conveyor belt of potential midfield replacements, with notable stumbling blocks to bring in either Brighton & Hove Albion’s Matt O’Riley and Sporting Lisbon’s Morten Hjulmand.
Adrien Rabiot, an ex-Juventus favorite, has suddenly become available and could provide exactly the sort of bite that Tudor requires in the middle of the pitch.
The France international midfielder left the Bianconeri in July 2024, after refusing to sign a two-year contract extension.
Mixed displays from last summer's midfielders
Teun Koopmeiners, Luiz and Khephren Thuram joined Juve last summer, in a bid to bolster the midfield, but it was only Thuram who impressed in a Juventus jersey.
Rabiot joined Juventus from Paris Saint-Germain in July 2019, and scored 22 goals in 212 appearances over five seasons.
He returned to Ligue 1 to sign for Olympique Marseille last September, despite a dramatic drop in salary, overlooking the approaches from AC Milan and Real Madrid.
Olympique Marseille big bust-up
Rabiot was happy under Roberto De Zerbi until last weekend, but a dressing room disagreement with team-mate Jonathan Rowe following Marseille’s 1-0 defeat to Rennes has resulted in both players being added to the transfer list.
This decision was made collectively by the club's management, including sporting director Mehdi Benatia who won three Serie A crowns as a Juventus player.
Rabiot, sidelined since Monday, never saw eye-to-eye at Juve with Cristiano Giuntoli. He left his role as sporting director by mutual agreement in June 2025, following two high-spending seasons.
Although Rabiot earned an annual salary of €7.5 million (US$8.7m) at Juventus, he would only be able to command about half of that figure which reflects his wages at Marseille.
Rabiot and Zhegrova singled out
Juve general manager Damion Comolli, who spent five successful years in Ligue 1 with Toulouse, is keen to bring in players from France with Rabiot and Lille midfielder Edon Zhegrova on his wishlist.
Marseille have slapped an asking price of €15m (US$17.4m) on Rabiot. This bargain price has also attracted the attention of his former Juve head coach Max Allegri, who is at the helm for ambitious AC Milan.
Although the Lombardy club would benefit from landing Rabiot, a move to Juventus seems more likely as Benatia knows the side well from his playing days. Plus both Comolli and former Marseille manager Tudor still have strong connections with Marseille.