Tottenham target’s brother reveals Man Utd attempt at hijacking transfer with loan-to-buy deal

Fiorentina's Sofyan Amrabat fights for the ball against Lazio's Sergej Milinkovic-Savic - Florence, Italy: Florence, Italy, Artemio Franchi Stadium

Sofyan Amranat and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic during Fiorentina vs Lazio

Serie A star Sofyan Amrabat, who has recently become a prime target for Tottenham, has received offers from Manchester United and Chelsea, according to his brother.

Amrabat enjoyed a fantastic World Cup with Morocco late last year. He put in some solid displays on their route to the semi-finals, where they were knocked out by France.

Due to his great performances on the biggest stage of all, the central midfielder became a target for some major clubs in the January transfer window.

Liverpool were looking into signing Amrabat as part of their midfield overhaul. Barcelona also began talks with Fiorentina to try and reach a transfer agreement.

Ultimately, neither club could get the deal over the line and Amrabat therefore remained at Fiorentina.

Despite shining at the World Cup, Amrabat struggled to continue his great form when returning to domestic action. In February, it was reported that his form had taken a nosedive. He was given a 4/10 by one Italian newspaper following Fiorentina’s 1-1 draw with Empoli, which was the lowest rating of any player on the pitch.

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However, the 26-year-old is expected to get back to his best soon, and he could achieve a significant transfer in the summer.

According to Calciomercato, Tottenham are pushing hard to sign him. They are looking for a top player to compete with the likes of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Rodrigo Bentancur, Yves Bissouma and Oliver Skipp, and have landed on Amrabat as a possible solution.

Tottenham-linked star could have moved to Man Utd

Spurs are named as the leading English suitors for him, with Liverpool seemingly going after alternative midfielders.

But things could have been far different for the player. His brother, Nordin, has provided an insight into Amrabat’s January situation.

Man Utd tried to sign him on loan with an option to buy, while Barcelona and Chelsea also submitted offers to Fiorentina.

“The [Fiorentina] chairman said during the World Cup, ‘we are not going to sell Sofyan Amrabat’. I thought he said that to get the jackpot,” Nordin told ESPN (via Dutch source Voetbal Primeur).

“There was a lot of interest, but Sofyan only wanted to leave for a top team. A lot of information was received from England and those clubs could also pay substantial transfer fees.

“I can name three clubs that were really concrete in the last days [of January]. Manchester United came in the last two days. They wanted to loan him, with an option to buy. That fell through, because Fiorentina didn’t want that.

“Barcelona also came with a loan offer, three days before the transfer market closed. But due to the financial problems they could not offer a mandatory option to buy. And the third was Chelsea.”

Amrabat’s priority was to join Barca, although Fiorentina did not accept their proposal.

The former Club Brugge ace is highly likely to secure a transfer in the summer, though. His Fiorentina contract expires in June 2024 and this means they must sell this summer or risk him leaving on a free transfer 12 months later.

Spurs will be at the front of the queue to land him, although other clubs will almost certainly begin transfer talks as well.

Meanwhile, Man Utd and Liverpool have been named as shock suitors for a new Premier League midfield target.