Manchester United have faced more criticism with their move for Juventus midfielder Adrien Rabiot on the verge of collapsing.
The Red Devils looked set to land the Frenchman after agreeing a deal with his club last week.
talkSPORT understands that Rabiot’s mother and agent, Véronique, demanded too much in terms of salary.
The 27-year-old demanded to become one of Man United’s top earners and the club walked away.
It’s the latest in a long string of setbacks the 13-time Premier League winners have suffered recently and talkSPORT’s Micky Gray has told the club to “strengthen their ideas” with the September 1 deadline looming.
Reacting to the news that the Rabiot deal is on the verge of falling apart, Gray told talkSPORT: “It’s an absolute shame, they knew they had to recruit this summer and they left him with 15 days before the transfer window.
“They signed three players [Lisandro Martinez, Tyrell Malacia and Christian Eriksen] in this transfer window and they haven’t improved Manchester United.
“If anything, they’ve backed off when they’re supposed to be moving forward.
“Players who come through the Man United door in the last 15 days of this transfer window are going to want top dollar. They know what situation they will find themselves in.
“These are panic positions. A club like Manchester United is completely wrong, it’s an absolute shame.
“They also don’t know what’s going to happen with Cristiano Ronaldo. Will he stay or will he leave?
“They have to reinforce their ideas and sort something out because these supporters are absolutely boiling.”
It is understood that Man United are lining up Real Madrid midfielder Casemiro as an alternative to Rabiot.
However, it is nothing more than a ‘chimera’, according to European football expert Kevin Hatchard.
On Casemiro’s reports to Man United, Hatchard said: “I think it would be highly unlikely. Why would he swap Real Madrid, who have just won La Liga and the Champions League and have a great chance of winning again for a club that is in the Europa League and in total and utter disarray?
“He’s still only 30 years old. Yes, Real Madrid have only signed Aurelien Tchouameni and they have other excellent midfielders that they are trying to develop.
“They wouldn’t want to let him go, I can’t imagine Carlo Ancelotti wanting to sign that.
“It looks like another chimera. You never say never in football, but again they wobble from player to player.
“What do they really want? The Marko Arnautovic case was an absolute joke. It is frankly a clown school.
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