Manchester United will pay £8.5m to take Sofyan Amrabat on loan with an option to buy the player for £21.4m; Fiorentina preferred a permanent deal while United are conscious of complying with Financial Fair Play rules; midfielder undergoing medical in Italy
Friday 1 September 2023 22:33, UK
Manchester United have agreed a deal with Fiorentina for the signing of midfielder Sofyan Amrabat.
United will pay €10m (£8.5m) to take Amrabat on loan with an option to buy the player for €25m (£21.4m).
Fiorentina had preferred a permanent deal while United are conscious of complying with Financial Fair Play rules.
United's director of football negotiations Matt Hargreaves flew to Italy, where Amrabat is undergoing a medical on Deadline Day, to complete the deal
It is clear Amrabat wants to move to United and the 27-year-old has not been training with the Fiorentina first-team squad while his future remained unresolved.
Amrabat was not part of Fiorentina's squad for Thursday's Europa Conference League play-off second leg against Rapid Vienna amid speculation over his future.
Sky Sports' Gary Neville:
"I've always felt he's not a holding midfield player, but he plays in that position alongside Casemiro where he'll get on the ball and that's what Erik ten Hag wants. Is he the right player for Manchester United to stop that midfield issue occurring, where they've been cut through so many times this season so far?
"I don't think the Amrabat one is a panic because they have wanted him from day one and he has wanted that ball-playing midfield player for about 12 months, all the way back with Frenkie de Jong. (Mason) Mount isn't a ball-playing midfielder; I think he presses well, thinks well, runs forward. I think he has always wanted this type of player.
"I just don't know why it's not happened earlier. The other signings were brought in earlier in the summer and they've had an issue with getting players out, which has caused United problems, maybe it's that. But with the way the season has started; the performance levels have been poor. I know they have picked up six points, but that could easily have been a lot less than six points.
"They have to react and get someone in because that midfield is a massive problem."
With exclusive insight from Amrabat's former coach, Adam Bate finds out more about the midfielder's past relationship with Erik ten Hag and why the Morocco international has the power and the passing ability to help solve the problems in Manchester United's midfield...
Sky Sports' Peter Smith:
"Sofyan Amrabat was a key figure in Morocco's historic run to the semi-finals of the World Cup in Qatar. He put in a series of displays which won him admirers around the globe - and he was a favourite of Sky Sports football writers, too, with Amrabat named in our team of the tournament.
"His lung-busting effort to match Kylian Mbappe and then land a precision tackle on the France superstar went straight into his highlights reel but throughout the competition he combined physicality with good ability on the ball to give Morocco control in possession and security without it. He topped the World Cup charts for distance covered and recoveries.
"He has displayed those skills for four full seasons in Serie A during his time at Fiorentina and at 27 is approaching his peak years. A move to the Premier League looks like a logical next step for a player with his attributes."
