John Murtough is meeting Adrien Rabiot's mother, Veronique, to discuss personal terms over a potential transfer on Friday, but there can be no ignoring the fact that he is not the midfielder Manchester United want the most before deadline day.
United's prolonged pursuit of Frenkie de Jong remains the defining deal of the summer window, and time is quickly running out if they are to finally complete it, with the saga edging ever closer to the 100-day mark.
United have not made any progress on their move for the Dutchman since chief executive Richard Arnold and football director Murtough flew to Barcelona four weeks ago. They'll hope the meeting with Rabiot's mother will be a lot more productive.
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United agreed a fee of €85million for De Jong last month but are considering other midfielders due to an impasse caused by the Dutchman's wage deferral at Barcelona.
A move for Juventus midfielder Rabiot would by no means end their pursuit of De Jong, but a deal to sign Sergej Milinkovic-Savic most certainly would. United are considering a €68million for the Lazio star as they frantically look to add a progressive midfielder to their squad.
Barcelona begin their new season against Rayo Vallecano on Saturday and unless they can shift existing players' salaries or sell some more commercial rights, a whole host of players will not be able to play in the match.
At this moment in time, summer additions Andreas Christensen, Franck Kessie, Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski and Jules Kounde are yet to be registered, and neither is Pablo Torre, who they agreed to sign in March. Barcelona have also not been able to re-register Ousmane Dembele and Sergi Roberto, who both signed new deals this summer.
With supporters hungry to see their new signings in action, De Jong has been made a scapegoat by some, with those fans remarkably labelling him a problem for sticking by his contractual obligations and for wanting the money he is owed by the club.
On Wednesday, some supporters were filmed hurling abuse at him as he arrived for training, with one shouting: 'cut your salary, b****.' such was their anger at the contract stand-off.
That in itself should provide De Jong with enough reason to leave Barcelona this summer, a club where he is seen as a dispensable part of a wider machine, when he could move to the Premier League and be the beating heart of another side.
De Jong must be well aware of the power of fan backlash, just as United are after they pulled out of a deal to sign Marko Arnautovic following protests from their supporters earlier this week.
A summer that promised so much is quickly transforming into one of repeated embarrassment for United, and it will only get worse if they end the window without the addition of the player Ten Hag wants the most.
Finding a solution to his wage deferral remains the biggest hurdle, and one that is out of United's hands, but no matter what the outcome of that is, they can offer him the support and appreciation from the fans that he might never get at Barcelona.
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