Erik ten Hag’s relationship with Sofyan Amrabat may play a key role in Manchester United’s pursuit of the Fiorentina midfielder.
Over the course of 18 months, the Moroccan international played for FC Utrecht of the Eredivisie under Ten Hag. The United manager has shown the player a great deal of virtue, praising his tenacity and determination to put the team before himself, traits he views in the highest regard.
The Red Devils’ objective right now is not to bolster their midfield, especially after Mason Mount successfully transferred from Chelsea to Old Trafford for an initial fee of £55 million plus possible add-ons of up to $5 million. He is now United’s lone summer acquisition.
Rasmus Hojlund of Atalanta and Inter custodian Andre Onana are United’s top two targets at the moment. Ten Hag is rumoured to be interested in making several more acquisitions this summer, although United’s financial restrictions make any additional additions contingent on sales.
In order to completely overhaul United’s midfield, Ten Hag oversaw the signings of Christian Eriksen and Casemiro in the previous summer. Since Marcel Sabitzer’s loan agreement has expired, Fred will probably be moved on this summer, making room for new additions.
His admiration for Amrabat is motivating a potential summer transfer, but given United’s emphasis on other transfers, no deal is expected to be completed in the next few weeks. The holding midfielder has been linked to a transfer for a while, and a number of clubs are reportedly interested in signing him.
At the World Cup, Amrabat shone for Morocco as they advanced to the semifinals by defeating Portugal and Spain. His performances in Qatar sparked interest from a number of teams, including Liverpool, and there are rumors that Jurgen Klopp spoke privately with the player’s agent.
Nordin, the brother of Amrabat, who has had a distinguished professional career and spent two seasons with Watford, has discussed Sofyan’s friendship with Ten Hag. He mentioned Old Trafford as a potential venue for his brother before last season’s Europa Conference League, in which Fiorentina were defeated by West Ham.
Regarding his brother’s future, Nordin said to ESPN, “You are not going to exchange Italy for the middle tier of the Premier League. He wants to go to the top. He is at the top of the list at Barcelona, but you are aware of the club’s financial position.
It will be a fierce rivalry when you see which names are moving, but of course you never know. However, my brother now plans to play professionally, ideally in Spain or England, in my opinion.
“Ten Hag is looking for a striker right now; that’s what he wants initially. He will assess what is feasible from there. However, I am aware that Ten Hag is won over by my brother because he got through to him and they get along well.