Liverpool 'target' free agent France international as hope of midfield addition grows

Arne Slot begins his Liverpool era with a trip to take on Ipswich Town.Arne Slot begins his Liverpool era with a trip to take on Ipswich Town.
Arne Slot begins his Liverpool era with a trip to take on Ipswich Town. | Liverpool FC via Getty Images
Liverpool FC transfer news: The free agent could be a bargain deal for Liverpool.

Liverpool are reportedly being linked with a move for free agent Adrien Rabiot, according to reports in France.

The Reds have already missed out on their key midfield target in Martin Zubimendi this summer and it’s unclear what moves they could make in the final 10 days of the window. With outgoings in defence potentially set to occur, midfield looks to be an area that will be unaffected, with youngster Bobby Clark the likeliest departure.

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They are still well-stocked in the engine room with Ryan Gravenberch taking on the role of the deep-lying midfield in the opening game victory over Ipswich Town. And yet, Rabiot remains an option. According to L’Equipe, Liverpool are looking to bolster their options with the seven-time league champion - however there is still the possibility that Rabiot remains in Italy with Inter Milan interested, whilst there is also interest from Bayern Munich. Given his pedigree and experience, the 29-year-old is a wanted man. Ranked as the highest value free agent currently on the market, according to Transfermarkt, and with Zubimendi costing in excess of £50m, Rabiot could be an attractive option for Arne Slot given his ability on the ball, physicality and past achievements. With no-one making any moves yet, Rabiot may just remain a back-up option for multiple of Europe’s biggest clubs.

But would he be a worthy addition? Similar to Gravenberch, he was used further forward last season at Juventus. However, under Didier Deschamps at France, he was used in conjunction with N’Golo Kante in a midfield two that tasked with securing the ball and screening the back four. He has range and he could play deeper for Liverpool but his figures suggest he is more effective going forward.

While he ranks highly for aerials won (90th percentile) his other figures on FBref show his best statistics were touches in the box, progressive carries, non-penalty goals and progressive passes received.

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On DataMB, in comparison to Wataru Endo, he ranked better for key passes, carrying and forward pass (%) but the Japan international was far more defensively sound with a superior defensive actions figure, duel win percentage and even forward and progressive passes. Granted, Rabiot played in a fairly-underwhelming Juventus side under Massimiliano Allegri who’s style of play was pragmatic to say the least.

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For France, even just starting ahead of the likes of Eduardo Camavinga proved he was a key figure and his performances in the Euros suggest he could cut it under Slot at Liverpool. He managed two key passes per game, 92% pass accuracy, 90% accuracy in the opposition half, four recoveries, 1.8 tackles, 67% aerial duels and 58% of his ground duels.

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