Almost masochistically – Allegri wants the hot potato in the form of Rabiot

AC Milan have rebuilt their entire midfield, bringing in Luka Modric, Samuele Ricci, and Ardon Jasari — but they’re not stopping there. Massimiliano Allegri was very displeased after the Serie A defeat to Cremonese and openly told the sporting department that he needs more reinforcements, with one of them potentially arriving right in midfield.

Adrien Rabiot once again showed how difficult his character can be, getting into a fight with Jonathan Rowe, which immediately marked him for departure from the Velodrome. As soon as he heard about it, Allegri instructed Igli Tare to begin the operation of bringing the French midfielder.

Without delay: Rabiot and his 'fighting buddy' transfer listed!

Despite Roberto De Zerbi saying he’d like Rabiot to stay, it’s clear that was only to sugarcoat the reality. Nobody in Marseille can stand him anymore, and they can’t wait to get rid of him. On the other hand, Allegri knows the former Paris Saint-Germain player inside out, having coached him at Juventus — arguably during the best spell of the temperamental midfielder’s career.

Aston Villa and Galatasaray were mentioned as being interested, but neither wanted to take the hot potato and deal with such a volatile player. Allegri, however, seems willing, as if saying: “It doesn’t matter if you fight with your teammates, come play for me.” Perhaps Max is the only man who has truly managed to rein in the Parisian’s strange personality.

Of course, this is far from being close to completion. The Rossoneri are only testing the waters with Marseille. The Velodrome club are ready to let the French international go, but not at any price — after all, he is still their player, under contract until 2026.

The main issue could be Rabiot’s annual salary, which amounts to about 6 milion euros. By comparison, Milan’s highest-paid player at the moment is Rafael Leao, on 5 milion euros per year.

New war in France: De Zerbi vs Rabiot's mom!

And then there’s the Veronique Rabiot factor. The midfielder’s mother has so far caused him far more harm than good. Allegri surely remembers how Veronique blackmailed Juventus, demanding twice the salary that Mario Mandzukic was on for her son. That saga ended with Adrien leaving Juve as a free agent — the same story that has repeated itself at every other club he’s played for.