Manchester United will focus on "new midfielders" in the coming weeks, and Fiorentina's Morroco star Sofyan Amrabat is "one of the big names on the list", claims transfers expert Fabrizio Romano.
Is Sofyan Amrabat joining Manchester United?
The transfer window is in full swing at Old Trafford following a sluggish start that was dominated more by takeover talk than it was transfer talk.
The first name Erik ten Hag welcomed through the doors was former Chelsea academy star and full England international Mason Mount, who joined the side for just £55m after a protracted back and forth saga that felt like it would never end.
Just two weeks later, the club welcomed their new number one to the Northwest, Inter Milans highly rated goalkeeper Andre Onana. The Cameroon international was already a priority target for the Red Devils, but after David de Gea left the club on July 1st, his signing went from important to essential.
The next name that looks to be on the way to the Theater of Dreams following Onana is Atalanta's Danish prodigy, Rasmus Hojlund. According to the Daily Mail, the three-time European champions are 'poised' to make their opening offer to the Bergamo side.
However, even with these three new starters coming into the side, ten Hag will look to add at least one more body to his midfield before the new season gets underway, especially once the club have completed the sales of Fred and Scott McTominay.
The name most touted to fill that gap in midfield has been Fiorentina and Morocco star Amrabat, who had a brilliant campaign last year and, according to transfers expert, Fabrizio Romano is definitely on the club's list.
He explained the situation on his YouTube channel, saying:
"Once they complete the outgoings, Man United will focus on new midfielders and Sofyan Amrabat, for sure, is one of the big names on the list."
How good is Sofyan Amrabat?
The last 12 months might've been Amrabat's best as a professional footballer thus far. He excelled for I Viola on the domestic scene and was an instrumental player in Morocco's run to the World Cup semi-final in December.
So good were his performances for the Atlas Lions that journalist Nigel Adderley declared him Morocco's "player of the tournament."
His performances also won plaudits from Sky Sports, who placed him at the heart of their Team of the Tournament.
His underlying numbers are interesting as they demonstrate that he shines in certain areas, like his passing, whereas in others, like his defensive contribution, he somewhat flatters to deceive. However, systematic changes around him could potentially mitigate any of his shortcomings.
According to FBref, who compare players in similar positions across Europe's top five leagues, the 26-year-old "monster" sits in the top 5% for pass completion, the top 8% for progressive passes, the top 11% for passes attempted and the top 33% for progressive carries, all per 90.
However, he also finds himself in the bottom 42% for interceptions, the bottom 34% for clearances, the bottom 32% for tackles, and the bottom 30% for blocks, also all per 90.
While a few elements of his game could potentially be worked on, Amrabat has more than proven his quality over the last year and would be a brilliant signing for United.
