The Red Devils aren’t messing around now…
Manchester United boss Erik Ten Hag is now looking to accelerate a move for one of his key midfield targets following the Red Devils’ lacklustre defeat to Tottenham Hotspur last weekend, according to reports in Italy.
What’s the latest transfer news at Manchester United?
90min reported last week that Amrabat’s proposed move to Manchester United was at risk of stalling due to their failure to offload squad players to finance the deal. Scott McTominay and Harry Maguire have both been heavily linked with West Ham United this window but to no avail, whereas Donny van de Beek’s impending loan move to Real Sociedad has slowed down, with both sides struggling to agree terms to facilitate an exit from Old Trafford for the Netherlands international.
According to a new report however, Manchester United are now speeding up the deal for Fiorentina midfielder Sofyan Amrabat quicker than expected as their humiliation at Tottenham ‘moved the cards’ with regard to the importance of bringing in another body in midfield.
The update from La Nazione, via Viola News, claims that a proposal between €25-30 million could now arrive for the Morocco international in the next 48 hours from Manchester United. Fiorentina general manager Joe Barone issued a message to players who may be keen to exit the Serie A outfit this summer in the lead-up to their 4-1 victory over Genoa last weekend, stating: “We are always ready for other entries and exits. If there is someone who is not happy, we can satisfy them by the end of the market.”
La Reppublica, via Viola News, have recently indicated that Liverpool also hold an interest in £31k-a-week earner Amrabat and Jurgen Klopp has had ‘telephone contact’ with the Huizen-born enforcer.
How good would Amrabat be for United?
At this point in time, it may be a necessity for Manchester United to attract another holding midfielder to Old Trafford after being dominated by Ange Postecoglou’s side in the middle of the park last weekend, particularly in the second half of proceedings.
Mason Mount, Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes are yet to gel as a midfield trio and encountered similar problems in their opening-day victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers at home, where the Red Devils fortuitously ran out 1-0 winners thanks to a Raphael Varane header.
Amrabat would help to add some steel in the engine room for Ten Hag and comes with high appraisal indeed, having been labelled as “extraordinary” by former Spain coach Luis Enrique, cited by Football Italia via talkSPORT.
Last campaign, Amrabat was a reliable presence in midfield for Fiorentina, featuring 49 times in all competitions and registering a solitary assist, as per Transfermarkt. At the base of his current employers’ midfield, Amrabat has demonstrated his ability to kickstart offensive moves with efficiency, maintaining a pass accuracy of 89.8% in Serie A over the course of 2022/23, according to WhoScored.
Combining his successful tackles and interceptions, the Morocco international made 60 successful contributions for Fiorentina in the Italian top flight alongside 23 blocks, providing real stability in front of his backline, as per FBRef.
