This isn't about money. Nor politics. The flashpoint at PSG between management and Adrien Rabiot is due to one thing: football.

Rabiot, lauded as the best young player to come through at PSG in modern times, believes at 20 years of age he should be playing regularly. As does Mum, Veronique, who is not just his relentless supporter, but also doubles as his agent.

Financially, Rabiot and his family are already secure. After several meetings this time last year with then Tottenham football chief Franco Baldini, Veronique and Adrien chose to commit to PSG until 2019. But playing-wise, Rabiot has seen his career stall this season, which resulted before Christmas in a bust-up with not only coach Laurent Blanc, but also president Nasser Al-Khelaifi.

"I have asked the president to be loaned if my game time continues to fall in January. He will not refuse me because we have already discussed this. He likes me, this is my Christmas present," insisted Rabiot.

However, the youngster also declared: "I would be willing to play my entire career with PSG if I was a starter. I would see things differently, that's for sure."

But the backlash was immediate, with both Blanc and Al-Khelaifi taking aim.

"This annoys me," barked Blanc. "Adrien is easy to train, but he must understand that if you're off contract you can do what you want, but when you sign for five years, you must understand and respect your club's trainer. I stop there, I might get upset..."

Al Khelaifi went further: "I was very disappointed, I told him to his face. These statements are unacceptable. I did not appreciate the fact that he said that a loan would be a Christmas gift. This is a total lack of respect towards the club trainer who did so much for him.

"The club is always more important than any player."

So why such a response? Some would say the reaction towards a young player just seeking minutes was over the top. But Rabiot is a special case. The best they've seen come through at PSG in years. And after losing Kingsley Coman to Bayern Munich, via Juventus, the prospect of another whizkid departing France's top club would not sit well with Al-Khelaifi and his board.

"He is a great talent," adds Al-Khelaifi. "My dream is that he becomes PSG captain one day. But he must respect the club, the coach and teammates. He got the message. He will be here 100% in January."

But that isn't the same "message" that's reaching Arsenal, where manager Arsene Wenger is actively trying to tempt Rabiot to London. Nor Manchester United...

Tribalfootball.com has learned that United's new kit suppliers, adidas, have been used an intermediary between the Rabiot camp and the Premier League giants. Rabiot has an endorsement deal with adidas and Veronique, surprised that United had not been among the heavyweights to make contact over the last year, asked via an exec if her Adrien was of interest to Louis van Gaal.

The irony is, United's neighbours, Manchester City, had hold of Rabiot as a junior player for all of six months, before letting him slip their net.

"At the last training session in Clairefontaine, recruiters from Manchester City were present," recalls Rabiot, who was 13 years of age at the time. "They told my mother that my profile interested them.

"We took the decision to go to England. Everything went well, but after six months, the club had not met certain agreements.

"So my mother said 'stop' and we went back (to France)."

Rabiot is happy to have his career guided by his Mum, which has raised eyebrows from some inside French football.

But the midfielder insists, "Since childhood, she followed me everywhere, to England, to the south of France. She has an important place. Agents are not necessary. Whenever there's one who calls, we give them the same answer. It was she who was in front of (former PSG sports director) Leonardo to negotiate my first pro contract."

Arnaud Pericard, who was Rabiot's lawyer for 18 months, says any criticism of Veronique is out of line.

"In supporting young athletes, I have rarely seen someone at the level of M. Rabiot. It is quite amazing .Adrien turned pro at 17 years of age and was training with the France team. He would not be there without the foresight of his mother."

The response from Van Gaal may've been lukewarm, but that's not to say Wenger is alone in his interest to ferry Rabiot away. Roma have also been in touch. As have Juve, which would love a repeat of their Coman coup 18 months ago.

"The quality is ageless but what this kid did was great, I loved him," said Real Madrid legend Manolo Sanchis after Rabiot's Champions League showing in November.

"Real probably thought Marco Verratti would be the danger, but ultimately Rabiot was probably their best player in the middle. When you are able to make such an entry at the Bernabeu in these circumstances, it means something.

"We knew he had playing qualities but there, he proved that he was also strong of mind. For me it is certain, he has a great future ahead of him."

Marco Verratti, whom many rate as the best young midfielder in the game, is just as effusive in praise of his teammate.

"Of course I love Rabiot: I have not seen any other player in the 1995 class as strong as him. It's hard to believe that PSG would let him go," said the Italian.

As Verratti hinted during their training camp in Doha, Qatar, the stand-off between and PSG and Rabiot cannot last forever. Something has to give. And if a split is the solution, Veronique insists it will have nothing to do with money.

"It's complicated to answer, because in the world of football, what is valid today is not necessarily tomorrow. But Adrien is in search of stability. This is not a mercenary. He wants to be anchored in a team, to win his place.

"Here he is fine. (But) elsewhere too. To move, it's part of the career of a footballer. We've made it so this far..."