Man Utd’s next signing went on STRIKE to force transfer

20 Aug 2023 21:54 BST
3 min read

Manchester United’s probable next signing Sofyan Amrabat went on strike earlier this year in an attempt to force a transfer to Barcelona.

United are in negotiations to buy Morocco centre midfielder Amrabat from Fiorentina and it is widely expected that the deal will be completed in the next week or so.

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Amrabat has already agreed personal terms with United.

All that is required to complete the transfer is for United and Fiorentina to agree on a final fee, with a deal at around €30 million expected to be reached.

But Amrabat could have been a Barcelona player now.

The Blaugrana pushed to sign the midfielder in the closing days of the January transfer window.

Amrabat was desperate to make the move and even went on strike to try and force through a move.

© ProShots - Sofyan Amrabat is set to join Man Utd

He failed to turn up to training on Deadline Day, infuriating Fiorentina, who accused Barca of unsettling the player.

Chelsea also made a Deadline Day move for Amrabat before signing Enzo Fernandez.

However, Fiorentina made it clear that they had no interest in selling Amrabat but promised the Moroccan he could leave at the end of the season.

Amrabat brilliant in 2022-23

Amrabat enjoyed a brilliant 2022-23 season, playing a pivotal role in Fiorentina reaching two cup finals; the Coppa Italia and the UEFA Europa Conference League.

Amrabat was arguably the best midfielder at World Cup 2022, playing a crucial role for a Morocco team that stunned everyone in reaching the quarter-finals

The 26-year-old produced a series of dominant performances in the centre of midfield as Morocco knocked out Belgium from the group stages, and then Spain in the last-16 and Portugal in the quarter-finals.

Morocco were finally beaten in the semis by France, before losing the third and fourth place playoff to Croatia.