BREAKING: Man united have prepared a fresh bid of £50M to bring “sensational” elite player to Old Trafford- ERik Ten Hag dreams of having his own version of “midfield General” like Pep
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag is interested in signing Sofyan Amrabat from Fiorentina this summer after working with the Morocco international at Utrecht.
Fiorentina’s chief executive has confirmed they will “consider” a transfer offer for Sofyan Amrabat amid Manchester United’s interest.
It’s believed the Red Devils are keen on signing Amrabat, 26, who played under Erik ten Hag at Utrecht after graduating from the Dutch side’s academy. The player’s brother Nordin, who played for Watford, has admitted his sibling is still “charmed” by Ten Hag.
Amrabat, who was linked with Liverpool in January, become a household name after helping Morocco become the first African country in history to reach a World Cup semi-final last year. The midfielder has just a year remaining on his contract.
Fiorentina’s CEO Giuseppe Barone has revealed United are yet to make a bid for Amrabat, but admitted he is willing to listen to offers, with reports in Italy suggesting a bid of €30million (£26m) will be enough to land his services.
“We have not received any bid or proposal for him at all,” Barone told reporters when asked about rumours of United’s interest, as quoted by The Metro. “He’s a Fiorentina player now. If an offer comes, we will consider it.”
Liverpool are unlikely to swoop for Amrabat after bringing in midfielders Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai. The Fiorentina star expressed an interest to play under Diego Simeone at Atletico Madrid in December, but nothing has materialised so far.
Amrabat said: “What Simeone does, what he achieved… He coached Atletico Madrid for many years. I like his style of play. He won a lot and I have a lot of respect for him. The players on your team are physically strong and aggressive. I like to play that way.”
A move to United would make sense. The 2016/17 campaign was Amrabat’s breakthrough season as a professional, as he played 38 games for Ten Hag’s Utrecht. The manager spoke very highly of Amrabat after the player’s move to Feyenoord in the summer of 2017.
As quoted by Dutch outlet AD, Ten Hag said: “Souf is imperturbable, unyielding. That is an additional quality. He will and must play, even if he has to go over five walls or through five walls. And even if he has to fight for it for weeks or months.”
Amrabat is thought to be interested in a move to Old Trafford. In a recent interview with ESPN, his brother Nordin said: “He is doing well at Fiorentina. You are not going to trade Italy for the middle bracket of the Premier League.
“My brother is 26 years old; he wants to go to the top. Of course, you never know, it [Saudi Arabia] will be a strong competition when you see which names are going. But my brother now has the intention to play in the top, preferably in Spain or England, I think.
“I think in January [United showed interest]. But Ten Hag is now looking for a striker, he wants that first. From there he will see what is possible. But I know that Ten Hag is charmed by my brother, he broke through under him. And they have a good relationship, so who knows.”
