Erik ten Hag has been given a boost in Manchester United’s pursuit of Fiorentina midfielder Sofyan Amrabat as it now appears as though he is ready to depart the Serie A club for pastures new this summer.
How much will Sofyan Amrabat cost Manchester United?
According to Italian outlet Gazzetta dello Sport (via Man United News), the midfielder has now asked to leave the club in order to move elsewhere and further his career.
Fiorentina did previously set an asking price of €35m (£30m), however they have now reportedly lowered this to €30m (£26m) and considering United’s budget for this transfer window is £100m according to The Athletic – without taking into consideration any player sales – then signing a player such as Amrabat for that aforementioned fee could be shrewd business conducted by the club.
The Moroccan international worked under Ten Hag during their time at Dutch side FC Utrecht, forging a solid relationship and this could allow him to settle in easily at the Red Devils should he move to the Premier League.
However, Amrabat could prefer a move to La Liga, with Spanish giants Barcelona also keen on signing him during the transfer window.
Could Sofyan Amrabat improve Manchester United?
For the Viola last season, Amrabat ranked second across the whole squad for accurate passes per game (45), second for accurate long balls per game (4.6) and sixth for tackles made per game (1.3) clearly evidencing his wonderful passing ability, while also trying to win the ball back often and this could allow him to forge a solid partnership with Mason Mount next term.
The Englishman will likely play in an attacking midfield slot for United, and he could thrive playing ahead of the 26-year-old, who will find him on a regular basis with his strong passing abilities and will also be able to sweep up anything that gets through Mount, giving the former Chelsea starlet much more freedom.
With the player ranking in the top 8% across Europe’s big five leagues for progressive passes per 90 (7.93) and the top 5% for pass completion percentage per 90 (88.8%), this further emphasises just how effective he is at circulating the ball and with Ten Hag looking for his players to be excellent with the ball at their feet and retain possession, Amrabat could be an ideal signing.
Sofyan Amrabat
Mount ranks in the top 4% across the big five European leagues when compared to fellow midfielders for progressive passes received and this will allow him to take the ball from the Moroccan often and work his magic further up the pitch and having registered 111 goal contributions already in his senior career, he will be hoping to add many more for the Old Trafford side.
Journalist Muhammad Butt lauded Amrabat as “criminally underrated” following his performance in the Europa Conference League final against West Ham United in May, and combining his prior relationship with Ten Hag along with his relatively low price tag, making a move for him this summer should be a no-brainer by the Dutchman.
In doing so, the former Ajax boss could seemingly find a perfect partner to Mount in midfield…