The 30-year-old Frenchman seems to court controversy everywhere he goes, whether that be on the pitch or with regard to transfer negotiations. Nothing is ever straightforward, it would appear.
Rabiot booted out of Marseille squad
After just one game of the 2025/26 Ligue 1 campaign, the French giants have been left with little choice other than to boot both players out of their first-team squad.
"What happened was extremely serious and extremely violent, something I've never encountered before," Marseille president Pablo Longoria was quoted as saying.
"We had to take a decision because what happened went way beyond what is acceptable in a football club, as it would be in any organisation.
"I wasn't in the dressing room, but the staff who were told me it was incredible, violent, aggressive and went beyond any limits.
"I think we all have enough experience to say we have never seen anything like it in a dressing room... even in the worst punch-ups there are rules, but not in this case."
Less than two weeks to find a new home
With under two weeks left of the current transfer window, that opens up the possibility of both players being sold for less than market value so that L'OM can wash their hands of them, or else at least half a season will be spent with the pair ostracised and with no possible chance of playing even a minute for their current employers.
What's already become clear is that Rabiot's representatives are punting him around to all and sundry, with Manchester United a particularly attractive target.
The Frenchman has been linked with the Premier League giants before now, and given that the Red Devils are in the market for a central midfielder, Rabiot would represent a much cheaper option than Brighton's Carlos Baleba.
It's understood Marseille would be willing to let him go for as little as €15m (£13m), and as a potential stop-gap for at least a season before potentially splurging over £100m on Baleba in 12 months' time, a deal could make sense.
Rabiot has scored nine goals and provided four assists in the 30 Ligue 1 games he's played over the past couple of seasons, with only Amini Gouiri, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Mason Greenwood scoring more.
The Frenchman also places a creditable fourth in the Marseille squad for pass completion. Successfully completing 1332 passes from 1530 attempted gives him an 87.1% stat, which rises to an incredible 93.2% for those passes made in his own half.
A 63.3% tackle success rate sounds reasonable without being fantastic for a player that's known to put his foot in, but compared to the rest of the Marseille squad, it's on par. For those with more than 20 tackles attempted, the highest rating is Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg's 69.2%.
Discipline a major factor
Perhaps one of the major issues that United or any other interested party will need to consider is Rabiot's discipline both on and off the pitch.
It's imperative that he integrates with a new dressing room quickly and doesn't make himself a pariah before he's even kicked a ball in earnest.
55 fouls conceded in the past two French top-flight seasons is the most of any Marseille player, and his 70 disciplinary points accrued is only behind Valentin Rongier (71) and Leonardo Balerdi (102).
Whilst it's accepted that his role is one where he needs to take on the lion's share of the dirty work, he's of no use to any club if he's stuck on the sidelines because of suspension.
It is in his defensive work that he excels, however, and 10 tackles won is evidence of that. The physicality of the Premier League, therefore, isn't something Rabiot is likely to be fazed by.
Indeed, his penchant for that side of the game would perfectly complement the more attack-minded Bruno Fernandes in United's central midfield.
Low price makes Rabiot an attractive option
Rabiot's 211 progressive carries isn't close to being the best for his team, ditto the 37 opposition half take-ons, but he'd surely argue that's never been his forte in any event.
21 interceptions could certainly be improved upon, though in the context of how his current teammates have performed, it's more than acceptable, whilst winning back possession on 126 separate occasions is something to be proud of.
In the remaining days of the transfer window, beggars can't be choosers, and when something presents itself that makes some sense for a number of reasons, clubs need to explore the possibilities before they turn their noses up.
From Man Utd's point of view, shoring up the midfield is a must, and for a pittance in today's market, Adrien Rabiot is surely worth taking a chance on.
