Fiorentina sporting director Daniele Prade has handed Liverpool a significant blow in their pursuit of Sofyan Amrabat, who will not be available for a transfer in January.
Liverpool are apparently interested in signing Fiorentina and Morocco midfielder Sofyan Amrabat. But the Serie A outfit are not flustered about losing their key player, according to reports in Fiorentina News.
Formerly of Utrecht, Feyenoord, Brugge, and Verona, it is safe to say Amrabat has endured a journeyman football career so far. After impressing at Hellas Verona on loan from Club Brugge, he became a wanted man in Serie A and snubbed interest from the likes of Inter, Napoli, and AC Milan to join Fiorentina in the summer of 2020.
The Moroccan international fit into the new surroundings like a glove and was one of their best performers in a difficult season, making 33 appearances in all competitions in 2020/21. However, after Vincenzo Italiano’s appointment as manager, he fell out of favour, playing just over 1000 minutes in Serie A last season.
But Amrabat has established himself as a mainstay this season, making 20 appearances across all competitions prior to heading for the World Cup. Despite representing the Netherlands at the under-15 level, he switched allegiance to Morocco in 2013 and made his senior debut in 2017. Amrabat has 42 international caps to his name and is currently starring for them on the biggest stage.
Fiorentina director Pradé on Sofyan Amrabat and Liverpool-Tottenham links for January: “We want to keep Amrabat here, there’s no plan to sell him”. 🚨🇲🇦 #transfers
“We’ve option to extend his contract next year, there’s no rush – he’s part of our plans”. pic.twitter.com/93R5fwYd6B
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) December 2, 2022
The 26-year-old holding midfielder recently grabbed the spotlight with his standout performances for Morocco at the World Cup, helping the Atlas Lions qualify for the knockout stages, where they will face Spain in the Round of 16. Needless to say, his all-action, tough-tackling, and combative displays have not gone unnoticed by the scouts of Premier League clubs.
It was recently reported that Liverpool were ready to make a “mind-boggling” personal terms offer to Amrabat as they continue their hunt for a new midfielder, something the player would be willing to do provided an agreement over a transfer fee could be reached with his parent club, Fiorentina.
With Amrabat currently only earning €1.8 million per season, a move to the Premier League should tempt him with the prospect of earning a significant rise in his current weekly wages at Artemio Franchi Stadium.
Addressing these recent speculations about Amrabat’s future, Fiorentina sporting director Daniele Prade has claimed that the Serie A side are not planning to lose their key midfielder any time soon, handing a major blow to Liverpool’s hopes of securing the World Cup breakout star.
It is no secret that after an underwhelming start to the ongoing season, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp is currently weighing up his current options at Liverpool. The German manager is keen to improve upon several areas of his squad, with the midfield being one of them.
Amrabat would have been a perfect fit for Klopp’s high-intensity style. An excellent and tenacious holding midfielder with a voracity for the ball and a proclivity to distribute the ball while in possession, he has a good range of passing and likes to carry the ball forward and would be an ideal foil for holding midfielder role at Liverpool, with Fabinho underperforming this season.
However, it appears Liverpool will have to realign their radars elsewhere. Fiorentina will not budge from their stance easily, especially given that they have the option to extend the Moroccan deal until 2025.
