Manchester United are "considering" Fiorentina's Sofyan Amrabat as "one of their options for the midfielder", but any deal will be very "expensive", claims transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.
Is Sofyan Amrabat joining Manchester United?
It was a fantastic first year in charge of United for Erik ten Hag last season. A top-four finish and a Carabao Cup trophy was probably more than most fans and pundits expected from the Dutchman's debut campaign in England.
His success looks to be getting rewards from the club's hierarchy as well, as they have been relatively active in the transfer window thus far, making the big signing of Mason Mount from Premier League rivals Chelsea last month and looking likely to complete the signing of Inter Milan's goalkeeper Andre Onana in the coming days.
These are brilliant deals for the club, but there is a feeling that more reinforcements in the midfield are necessary if the team wants to challenge for the top honours again next season, and one player that could help in that regard is 26-year-old Amrabat.
According to transfers expert Fabrizio Romano, the Red Devils have identified the Huizen-born machine as one of their targets, but a deal could be expensive as Fiorentina will be expecting around €35m-€40m (£30m-£34m) to get the deal done.
He explained the situation on his YouTube channel, saying:
"I am hearing that it's true that Sofyan Amrabat is one of the players considered at Manchester United.
"Erik ten Hag knows that Sofyan Amrabat is one of the players on the market, he's an expensive midfielder because Fiorentina are always tough negotiators, but at the moment, the understanding is that Manchester United are considering Sofyan Amrabat as one of the options for the midfield."
How good is Sofyan Amrabat?
It has been a brilliant 12 months for Amrabat, both with his club and national side, 12 months that have seen him propelled into the spotlight on multiple occasions.
On the domestic front, the 2022/23 season was good for the Moroccan international. He played 29 league games for Serie A outfit Fiorentina, maintaining a passing accuracy of 89.8%, creating one assist and averaging a match rating of 6.46, per WhoScored.
His underlying numbers are interesting in that he excels in certain areas while lacking in other important ones.
According to FBref, who compare players in a similar position across Europe's top five leagues, he sits in the 5% for pass completion, the top 8% for progressive passes, the top 11% for attempted passes and the top 33% for progressive carries, all per 90.
However, he finds himself in the bottom 42% for interceptions, the bottom 34% for shot-creating actions, successful take-ons, and clearances, the bottom 32% for tackles, and the bottom 30% for blocks, all per 90 and per FBref.
From those numbers, it looks like he's a brilliant passer and a valuable midfielder if your team needs help circulating the ball from the backline to the front three. Still, he needs to improve when it comes to creating an attacking threat himself, and his defensive contribution flatters to deceive.
That said, his outstanding contribution to Morocco's semi-final run in last year's World Cup suggests he is more than capable of performing at the highest level, and his performances led to journalist Amine El Amri waxing lyrical about him on TalkSPORT, saying:
"Sofyan Amrabat is a great footballer in addition to being a raging bull.
"I'm trying to be as objective as I can, but I think he's been the best midfielder in this World Cup."
Should United decide to go for I Viola's midfield "monster", seeing how he adapts to the Premier League will be interesting. Still, he looks to have the ability to flourish if given the chance.