Sofyan Amrabat to Man United: £29m bid prepared, Fiorentina ‘ready for exit’, Casemiro slated
Manchester United have been strongly linked with a move for Fiorentina star Sofyan Amrabat. The defensive midfielder, who rose to prominence during Morocco’s run to the World Cup semi-finals, could be another addition to Erik ten Hag’s squad this summer.
Express Sport runs through everything we know about a potential transfer.
£29m bid prepared
Reports suggest that United have had personal terms agreed with Amrabat’s representatives for some time. But there is a sense that the Red Devils must raise funds before they can complete any other major business having already spent nearly £200m this summer.
According to 90min, a £29m fee with Fiorentina has already been ‘provisionally’ agreed. But the deal will only get the green-light on the condition that United offload at least a couple of stars first.
That hit a hurdle last week when it was claimed that Harry Maguire’s £30m switch to West Ham was off. Donny van de Beek’s move to Real Sociedad is also claimed to have hit the buffers.
The report adds that Amrabat has been left frustrated over the chain of events. His unhappiness saw him left out of Fiorentina’s team for their Serie A opener against Genoa.
Fiorentina CEO Joe Barrone then hinted that a move for Amrabat will happen before the end of the transfer window. The club executive insisted all unhappy players will be ‘satisfied’ this month.
“We are always ready for other entries and exits,” Barrone said. “If there’s someone who isn’t happy, we can satisfy him between now and the end of the transfer window.”
It came after Amrabat watched on from the bench as his side thrashed Genoa 4-1 at the weekend. His future appears set to be cleared up over the coming weeks.
Casemiro slammed
United’s need for a new defensive midfielder was highlighted by Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher last week. Casemiro endured a horrible evening during the narrow 1-0 win over Wolves, and the Brazilian was subsequently poor in the 2-0 defeat by Tottenham on Saturday.
Speaking after the Wolves defeat, former United captain Neville told Sky Sports: “One thing [Ten Hag] is not going to do is go back to the Fred-McTominay style of midfield because they can’t play the ball properly. He wants everybody on that pitch to be able to play the ball his way.
“What I will say is Amrabat could come in and play alongside Casemiro, perhaps give him some help. Look, he got absolutely torn to shreds tonight, Casemiro. Manchester United’s midfield were non-existent, they got ripped apart by Wolves.”
Carragher added: “Casemiro has been really exposed tonight. Really exposed. It was far too easy for Wolves to exploit the space behind.”
Speaking over a replay of an incident involving the veteran midfielder, Carragher continued: “Watch what happens to him here – the player bumps him and he almost doesn’t have the strength to get back and start up again.
“As Manchester United, you’ve spent big on Mason Mount, Fernandes is your captain, Casemiro is outstanding at times but this was a major problem.”
