Everton have been offered the chance to sign Juventus midfielder Adrien Rabiot this summer, as revealed by Calciomercato.
What's the latest news on Rabiot?
The Italian champions are keen to reduce their wage bill, meaning that they are prepared to offload some of their current stars at the end of the season.
Rabiot is one player who is viewed as surplus to requirements, and he has reportedly been offered to Everton and Barcelona.
How has Rabiot fared at Juventus?
The 26-year-old has been rather underwhelming since joining Juventus in 2019. During his two seasons in Turin, he has managed just four goals and three assists in 78 appearances.
Still, he has featured regularly for Andrea Pirlo's side this term, playing 29 league games for the Bianconeri.
His use of the ball is one of his main strengths. As per WhoScored, he has registered a pass success rate of 90.2% in Serie A in 2020/21. Only one Everton player who has made multiple appearances has a higher success rate in the Premier League this year.
How would Rabiot fit in at Everton?
Carlo Ancelotti has tried a number of formations this season, but has largely stuck with a variation of either a 4-3-3 or 4-4-2 formation.
Rabiot is accustomed to playing in either system, having regularly been used central midfield in a 4-4-2 under Pirlo this year, whilst he also featured in a 4-3-3 formation when Maurizio Sarri coached Juventus last season. This indicates that he should be able to slot into the side with relative ease.
In terms of who he could displace in the current Everton setup, Andre Gomes could be most at risk. The Portuguese playmaker has been involved in 24 top-flight games this season, but has managed just one assist in that time, suggesting that his end product is questionable, and may lead to him losing his place in the team.
Should Everton accept Juventus' offer?
It has been reported that Juventus would like to re-sign Moise Kean from Everton this summer, and could use Rabiot as part of the deal, whilst Everton would prefer to land defender Merih Demiral instead. If this is the case, then the Toffees should stick to their guns and continue to push for Demiral over Rabiot.
Everton's defence is an issue that needs to be sorted as the side have conceded 40 goals in their 32 league matches. Ancelotti has some capable centre-backs at his disposal in Michael Keane, Ben Godfrey, Yerry Mina and Mason Holgate. However, he has been unable to settle on a pairing, as shown by the fact that all four have played at least 22 games in the league this year.
In their recent match against Tottenham, two defensive mistakes led to goals for Harry Kane, and Everton need to cut out these errors next season.
Ancelotti requires a commanding figure at the back, which is what Demiral can offer. Having only turned 23 last month, he is likely to have his best years ahead of him, and could offer the side more stability at the back.
Right now, Everton's defence needs fixing more than their midfield, so the club should prioritise signing Demiral rather than Rabiot.