Manchester United are facing a race against time to clinch their fourth transfer of the summer as Erik ten Hag looks to strengthen his squad with another midfielder. Reports in Italy suggest the Premier League club are up against the clock to get their next deal over the line for Fiorentina star Sofyan Amrabat, with all parties eager for the deal to be finalised quickly to avoid any potential awkwardness further down the line.
The Morocco international, who enjoyed a stellar World Cup as the African nation became the first from the continent to reach the semi-finals, is keen to leave the Serie A club and has been linked with Barcelona and Liverpool.
The 26-year-old has only 11 months left to run on his contract and with no renewal on the horizon, United are looking to jump to the front of the queue by snagging a cut-price deal for Amrabat, according to Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport.
The report claims that a bid would be lodged in the ‘coming days’ earlier this week and that suits Fiorentina’s plans, as the Florence-based club are keen to cash in on Amrabat to avoid him running down his contract. They value Amrabat at around £25.9m (€30m), which would put him within United’s price range.
Local publication Corriere Fiorentino, via Sport Witness, also say that United are preparing their move for the combative midfielder and Fiorentina are expecting to receive an offer over the weekend. However, all parties are keen to finalise the deal by Sunday as the new campaign is fast approaching.
La Viola boss Vincenzo Italiano has made it clear that he wants to sit down to discuss Amrabat’s future, but Italiano is also keen for United to agree a deal with Fiorentina quickly as he does not want any player who is not committed to the club in his squad next season.
That could be an issue for the Red Devils, who have prioritised negotiations with Atalanta over the potential signing of Rasmus Hojlund. The Denmark international is valued at around £70m by his club and the two parties are some way apart over his valuation, with United’s latest bid said to be around £45m with add-ons.
Ten Hag has already signed Mason Mount this summer and recently completed the capture of Andre Onana from Inter Milan to take their spending past £100m.
The club must now look to offload their fringe players, with Scott McTominay, Alex Telles, Anthony Elanga and Dean Henderson all expected to leave for fees that can be used to fund signing replacements.
But it remains to be seen whether United can complete their move within the preferred timeframe. The club are currently on a pre-season tour of the USA and have flown Onana to link up with the squad, but it would take a rapid development for Amrabat to become the next player to make his debut Stateside in the coming days.
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