Football
Jonathan Johnson, PSG correspondent 5y

Bayern Munich join Barcelona in pursuit of PSG's Adrien Rabiot - source

Bayern Munich want to sign Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Adrien Rabiot this month or in the summer and will battle Barcelona for his signature, a source close to the French champions has told ESPN FC.

Barca and the France international recently agreed terms on a basic annual salary of €10 million and a €10m signing-on fee as part of a bonus-heavy contract at least four years long, but the Spanish giants are reluctant to invest more money into the deal to make it happen this transfer window.

According to the source, Bayern have now registered their interest with PSG, and with Rabiot yet to commit to the offer on the table from Barca, he could yet join the German champions.

The 23-year-old and his mother and agent Veronique are keen to leave Parc des Princes this winter and Bayern are the first club to have shown solid interest in Rabiot that he is willing to consider as an alternative to Barca and can also offer an immediate escape route.

The source reaffirmed PSG's preference to sell Rabiot this month for a reduced fee rather than losing him for nothing in the summer and Bayern's sudden interest has put Barca under unexpected pressure as they continue to hesitate over committing further funds towards an already expensive acquisition.

Barca were led to believe that the Rabiots were prepared to wait until this summer to move to Camp Nou but favoured a winter move, if possible, and Bayern are now willing to seek a deal with PSG and are aware of the size of the player's agreement with Barca.

Although Bayern are unlikely to match Barca's offer, the source indicated that the prospect of an immediate exit could see the Rabiots lower their demands.

Bayern's France internationals Corentin Tolisso and Kingsley Coman both speak highly of Rabiot and the source added that their positive appraisals of the PSG man influenced the Germans' decision to officially make their move.

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