Manchester United now in talks to sign £30m World Cup star as Erik Ten Hag eyes key upgrade
Fred could be on his way out of Manchester United this summer after Fabrizio Romano revealed he’s changed his agents amid interest from Fulham and clubs in Saudi Arabia, but Florian Plettenberg says Erik ten Hag may have already found an upgrade on the 30-year-old – Sofyan Amrabat.
The 26-year-old shone for Morocco at the 2022 World Cup and has one year remaining on his deal at Fiorentina, so he might be granted a departure if he’s not signing a contract extension with the Violas. Joshua Smith of the Manchester Evening News says Amrabat might be available for £30m.
Amrabat joined Fiorentina from Hellas Verona in 2020 and has gone on to make 107 appearances in all competitions, scoring one goal with one assist. He’s represented Morocco on 49 occasions and it’s his performances for the national team that saw his reputation skyrocket last year.
Amrabat played every minute of every World Cup game for the Atlas Lions, sitting at the base of the midfield and doing everything in his power to thwart his opposition – 2.3 tackles and 0.9 interceptions per game on average. Morocco conceded five goals in seven games, keeping four clean sheets, so he did his job.
The 26-year-old hasn’t set the place alight in Italy, however, with Fiorentina finishing 8th in Serie A. Amrabat has been turning over possession less frequently than he did in the World Cup (1.3 tackles per game) and isn’t adept at carrying the ball from deep (0.4 successful dribbles per game), but he’s not beaten too often in one-on-ones (0.6 dribbles past per 90 minutes).
Plettenberg is adamant that Man United have opened conversations over a potential deal for the player, but Bayern Munich are also interested. Mason Mount’s arrival from Chelsea could potentially push Fred out of the side, but time will tell if Amrabat is brought in as his replacement. Casemiro’s spot isn’t at risk, but some supporters are surprised to hear that Fred is deemed expendable.
