Manchester United have held initial talks to sign Fiorentina midfielder Sofyan Amrabat, according to Sky Sport Germany journalist Florian Plettenberg.
The Red Devils recently completed the purchase of Mason Mount from Chelsea. The England international is anticipated to start in the number eight role for manager Erik ten Hag.
Ten Hag is open to signing a second midfielder, and Plettenberg reports that United are tracking Amrabat ‘very closely’. ‘First talks’ have already taken place.
Aside from United, Bayern Munich are interested in the Moroccan star. As things stand, neither club have made a formal approach for the holding midfielder.
Amrabat’s arrival at United depends on player sales
United have spent an initial £50 million to sign Mount from the Blues. They could make a similar outlay to purchase goalkeeper Andre Onana from Inter Milan.
After Onana, the club have their sights on landing a top-class striker. They are currently weighing up an offer of £50m to sign Atalanta wonderkid Rasmus Hojlund.
If United are successful in landing the duo, this would take their spending spree to £150m this summer compared to their pre-sales budget of around £120m.
Fred looks likely to leave Old Trafford in the near future, but the Red Devils may need to recoup more funds from outgoings before they can afford Amrabat.
Amrabat is currently valued at €30m (£26m) by Fiorentina. The Serie A outfit have opened the door for his departure, but are likely to hold firm on the price tag.
The Moroccan would be a fantastic signing for United. He is a holding midfielder, who possesses excellent distribution and ball control. He rarely loses possession.
He would be a strong competitor to Casemiro. In our view, his arrival at Old Trafford could possibly depend on the departure of midfielder Scott McTominay.
Ten Hag has a strong relationship with Amrabat after their time together at Utrecht. Personal terms may not prove an issue if United reach an agreement over the fee.
