Romano says Manchester United rejected Barcelona offer for £21m loanee in January
Manchester United turned down approaches from Serie A giants Juventus and La Liga champions Barcelona with Fiorentina loanee Sofyan Amrabat staying in the Premier League until the summer.
With some suggesting that Sofyan Amrabat’s Manchester United career is already destined to end in June, a fine display during the 1-0 FA Cup win at Nottingham Forest was a reminder that nothing is over until the proverbial fat lady is practicing her scales.
Amrabat was impressive, particularly in the second half, at the City Ground. Drifting from left-back into central midfield, the Moroccan’s poise and composure in possession was a far cry from the ragged recklessness embodied by Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes at times.
Of course, one decent display against a team ranked 17th in the Premier League will not be enough to convince Ineos that a £21 million permanent transfer is worth considering. But, still, it’s a start. A belated one, admittedly.
Manchester United rejected Softan Amrabat offers
Fabrizio Romano, speaking via his official YouTube channel, confirms that Man United have not yet decided whether to retain Amrabat or send him back to Florence. Should they choose the latter, one of the Qatar World Cup’s breakout talents is unlikely to be short of alternative offers.
“Man Utd have not informed both sides about their decision on Amrabat,” Romano explains. “(The decision) will be made later this year. (The situation) remains open.
“What’s important to say on Sofyan Amrabat is that, in January, two clubs asked about the possibility of breaking the loan and signing Amrabat on a new loan for the January transfer window until the end of the season.
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“The two clubs were, from what I heard, Juventus – Juventus asked for information on Amrabat but, for Fiorentina and Man Utd, it was a ‘no’ – and the same for Barcelona, who already wanted Amrabat one year ago.
“(Barca) asked about the possibility to return for Sofyan Amrabat in January. But it was again a ‘no’ from Man Utd. (They had) no intention to break that loan.”
Barcelona and Juventus keen
Amrabat may suddenly have a larger role to play under Erik ten Hag, with left-backs Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia both on the sidelines. The biggest problem with the former Eredivisie ace – who worked with Ten Hag at FC Utrecht – appears to be his lack of pace, with the basketball nature of Man United’s recent performances exposing a man who thrived as part of Morocco’s deep-block.
