Premier League side Liverpool are closing in on the signing of Fiorentina midfielder Sofyan Amrabat, according to reports.
The Reds are still on the lookout for another midfielder this summer despite sealing a £16m move for Wataru Endo from German side Stuttgart.
Liverpool brought in Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai earlier in the transfer window to cover the losses of Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and James Milner.
But the unexpected departures of Jordan Henderson and Fabinho to Saudi Arabia meant that Jurgen Klopp turned his attention again to midfield.
Liverpool failed to get deals for Romeo Lavia and Moises Caicedo over the line as they both preferred Chelsea and now Klopp is looking to add one more to his midfield after the signing of Endo.
A potential deal for Amrabat – who has also been heavily linked with Manchester United – has been mooted with one report claiming Klopp recently made a phone call to the Morocco international in an attempt to get a deal over the line.
And now Spanish publication Nacional claim that Liverpool are ‘very close’ to sealing a deal for Amrabat and insist the Moroccan ‘already has an agreement’ with the Reds.
They add that he is now ‘one step away from joining’ Liverpool as Klopp looks to sign more experienced players to compliment his young midfielders like Curtis Jones, Harvey Elliot and Stefan Bajcetic.
Klopp has already brought in an older player in the form of Endo, who is 30, and the German insists it is “no surprise” he flopped on his debut against Bournemouth after only spending two days with his new team-mates.
When asked for his verdict on Endo’s debut Klopp replied: “Horrible.
“First game, coming in, I think we saw that Harvey [Elliott], who’s in a really good moment, came on in this game as well and was running left and right and the heart rate was 240.
“[It would have been] pretty much the same for Endo. The two days he had – no surprise! He did absolutely alright, but he came there and had absolutely no clue what to do.
“I spoke this morning with him about how, with 11 players, his position would look. A 4-4-1 was not involved in our conversation. That’s it now.
“I don’t think he slept a lot in the last two nights, so he came on and threw everything he had onto the pitch. That’s it.”
Ten Hag red-faced as Liverpool leapfrog Man Utd in heated battle for £25m midfield target
Liverpool have overtaken Manchester United in the race to sign Fiorentina midfielder Sofyan Amrabat, according to reports from Italy.
It’s no secret that both clubs are looking to bring in another midfielder before the end of the transfer window and have settled on the 26-year-old as a key target.
Man Utd have has Amrabat on their radar for some time, with Erik ten Hag seeing him as an ideal midfield partner for Casemiro.
It’s been clear from Man Utd’s two matches so far this season that their midfield needs improvement. Mason Mount has struggled to hit the ground running and Casemiro has looked a shadow of his former self.
Bringing in a player like Amrabat could be exactly what the Red Devils need to compete at the top of the Premier League table this season.
These thoughts were echoed by Gary Neville. After Man Utd’s 2-0 defeat to Tottenham on Saturday, Neville said: “What’s clear is that Manchester United’s midfield needs bolstering.
“Ten Hag wants a number six who can play alongside Casemiro and at the moment the club can’t get players out to be able to fund that… What’s clear is that Ten Hag doesn’t want to revert back to Scott McTominay.”
Liverpool lead Man Utd in Amrabat race
Despite Man Utd’s need for midfield recruits, fresh reports from Italy suggest they may have to consider alternatives to their top target, Amrabat.
According to La Republica (as cited by Viola News), Liverpool are set to make an opening bid for Amrabat in the next few days. He has less than 12 months remaining on his contract and it is believed Fiorentina will demand around £25m for his services.
Liverpool have parted ways with Fabinho, Jordan Henderson, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain since last season but have only brought in Dominik Szoboszlai, Alex Mac Allister and Wataru Endo to replace the midfield quartet so far.
As a result, Jurgen Klopp is now pushing to bring in Amrabat as his fourth midfield signing.
Amrabat made 29 Serie A appearances last term. Operating from defensive midfield, he made an average of 1.3 tackles and 0.7 interceptions per match. His performances have gained him a reputation as one of the best number sixes in Italy.
He also played a key role in helping Morocco reach the World Cup semi-final last year for the first time in their history – so there is certainly no doubting his quality.
With that in mind, it will be interesting to see if Liverpool can beat Man Utd to Amrabat by tabling an official offer in the next few days, as suggested.