Barcelona target 'offered to play for free' after rejecting Man Utd and Chelsea

Suraj Radia

• 8 Feb 2023 18:55 GMT
• 2 min read

Barcelona were disappointed after their failure to sign one of their top transfer targets in January despite the player’s offer to play for free and rejecting Manchester United and Chelsea to push through a move.

Morrocan midfielder Sofyin Amrabat was subject of an approach by Barca late in the January transfer window but the Catalan side were unable to agree a deal with Fiorentina.

The Italian side rejected an offer of €6 million for a straight loan, instead wanting a deal that had the potential to become permanent in the summer – something which Barca’s financial situation prevented them from agreeing to.

PROFILE: Everything you need to know about Morocco's star man

Mundo Deportivo claim that Amrabat ‘did everything’ to secure a move, including offering Fiorentina the wages he would receive at Barca and playing the rest of the season for free.

His representatives also revealed to the Spanish outlet that Amrabat had approaches from Chelsea and United, with Erik ten Hag in particular being keen to bring the 26-year-old to Old Trafford having managed him at Utrecht, but the player only had eyes for Barca.

Amrabat attracted attention from all over Europe after an impressive display with Morocco at the 2022 World Cup and Barca are still considering making a summer move for him if their situation allows it.

January interest comes to nothing for Amrabat

Amrabat was expected to leave after his reputation grew following his exploits in Qatar but he will now stay at Fiorentina until the end of the season after interested sides failed to agree a deal.

Liverpool were among the sides considering a move for Amrabat but they opted to spend their budget in the winter on Cody Gakpo, paving the way for their rivals to make their approach.

United were in the market for a midfielder following the injury to Christian Eriksen but they were seemingly only after a short-term option, prompting a deadline day loan move for Marcel Sabitzer.

REVEALED: Chelsea's deadline day move for Amrabat

Chelsea, meanwhile, certainly had the means to make a permanent move for Amrabat but they focused their attention on their British-record move for Enzo Fernandez after allegedly being rejected by the Fiorentina man, who is now expected to hold out for a summer switch to Barca.