Man Utd handed MAJOR boost in pursuit of Sofyan Amrabat

Cameron Smith

• Updated: 24 Jul 2023 09:41 BST
• 3 min read

Manchester United’s pursuit of Fiorentina and Morocco midfielder Sofyan Amrabat has been boosted by news that Tottenham Hotspur star Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg is on the verge of joining Atletico Madrid.

The Denmark international has agreed personal terms with Diego Simeone’s side and has moved closer to a transfer to the Spanish capital, according to The Times.

Hojbjerg did not start in Tottenham’s pre-season friendly against West Ham, with new boss Ange Postecoglou preferring a double pivot of Oliver Skipp and Yves Bissouma, with James Maddison slightly more advanced.

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Giovani Lo Celso also impressed, while forgotten man Tanguy Ndombele has returned from his loan spell at Napoli and appears to have earned the faith of Postecoglou. As a result, Hojbjerg is set to leave Spurs after three years at the club, and his departure to Atleti will indirectly help Erik ten Hag’s Man Utd.

The Red Devils have completed moves for Mason Mount and Andre Onana, but their activity in the transfer market this summer is far from over. They are still hunting Atalanta forward Rasmus Hojlund, and Amrabat remains their midfield priority.

At the start of July, FootballTransfers exclusively reported that Ten Hag has pin-pointed Amrabat as his main target for Man Utd’s midfield ahead of the new season and will action a move for the Fiorentina player once a deal for Hojlund is wrapped up and Fred is moved on.

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Why Hojbjerg to Atletico helps Man Utd

Previously, Atletico Madrid were also interested in signing Amrabat and looked to be one of Man Utd’s main competitors for his signature. In fact, reports from Morocco even suggested that Amrabat has agreed personal terms with Simeone’s side and was closing in on a move to the Wanda Metropolitano.

However, it seems as though the Spanish giants have switched their attention to signing Hojbjerg, giving Man Utd a free run at signing Amrabat.

The Fiorentina star was previously wanted by Barcelona, but they have signed both Ilkay Gundogan (free) and Oriol Romeu (€5m) this window and are therefore unlikely to push to add another central midfielder.