Why Manchester United could sign Adrien Rabiot after the transfer deadline due to a bizarre Rasmus Hojlund loophole

If Manchester United sign Adrien Rabiot, he will be able to play immediately due to a strange legal loophole involving Rasmus Hojlund.

Free agents can still join Premier League clubs despite the transfer window closing in England, but that comes with some caveats.

Top-flight clubs will soon submit their final squad lists, but should Manchester United add to their squad? Rabiotcan get directly involved.

The French international is a free agent, meaning he can be signed outside of the transfer window and has been linked with a move to Old Trafford for a while now.

Given Erik the Hag lost Scott McTominay in the summer and Casemiro Chelsea appear to be losing steam, but a player of Rabiot's quality and experience would be a welcome addition to their squad.

From the Frenchman's point of view, his objective is to remain in Europe's top leagues and an added benefit for Manchester United is that he would not have to wait until January to be registered.

Why were Manchester United able to sign Rabiot after the transfer deadline?

The deadline for Premier League clubs to submit their 25-man squads for the first half of the season is Saturday 14 September.

Free agents may register immediately at any time during the year as long as there is space or the player is under 21 years of age.

Fortunately for Rabiot, while he does not qualify for the latter, two of his potential future Manchester United teammates can help open up availability in the squad for his arrival.

There is a maximum of 17 places allowed for non-homegrown stars in 25-man Premier League squads.

Ten Hag currently has exactly that number, but crucially, players under the age of 21 do not have to be registered as part of the senior team.

The unique provision behind that decision means Hojlund, already 21, qualifies and will not take up a place at NHG for another season, allowing Rabiot to be registered by Man United.

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The Premier League has stipulated that for the 2024/25 campaign, any player born on or after 1 January 2003 can count as an Under-21.

That includes Hojlund, even though the Danish international will turn 22 during the course of the season in February.

Alejandro Garnacho also qualifies for the current and next campaign, bringing the Red Devils' total down to 15 non-homegrown veteran players, one short of the threshold if Rabiot signs.

So if the 29-year-old midfielder joins at any point between now and January, he could be registered with the squad and play.

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Since I left Juventus In the summer, Rabiot has not managed to find a new club.

The former Paris Saint-Germain The man received an offer from the Serie A giants to remain at the Giro, but turned it down.

Liverpool, Newcastle, real Madrid and United were linked with a possible move for the versatile Frenchman but nothing materialised.

Even with the transfer windows in Spain and England now closed, no European team has submitted an offer for Rabiot.

However, Manchester United came close to signing him during Ten Hag's first transfer window, but a potential deal reportedly fell through due to the player's wage demands.

But his agent, his mother Veronique, has revealed that the club and the player are on good terms, opening up the possibility of a transfer.

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Speaking to La Gazzetta dello Sport, he said: We are on excellent terms with Manchester United.”

He also denied claims that Rabiot's potential transfer in 2022 fell through due to the player's wage demands.

“It's all false. United wanted to meet me to show their interest in Adrien, but we never discussed money in detail because he quickly decided to stay in Turin.”

Certainly the signs are positive if Manchester United decide to sign Rabiot, as they will be able to sign him thanks to Hojlund.