Confirmed: Man Utd flop to leave, three replacements lined up

Carlo Garganese

• 2 Apr 2024 08:30 BST
• 3 min read

Transfer journalist Rudy Galetti has confirmed that Man Utd will not trigger the clause to sign Sofyan Amrabat permanently at the end of the season.

Galetti reports that United have been left desperately disappointed by Amrabat’s performances this season and will not pay the €25 million required to sign him for good from Fiorentina.

United paid €9m last summer to sign Amrabat on loan for the season from Fiorentina.

READ MORE: Latest Man Utd transfer news

The Red Devils have the option to make the deal permanent for €25m, but Galetti says the decision has been made against activating that option.

Galetti adds that United have three main targets as a possible replacement for Amrabat.

These are Benfica wonderkid Joao Neves, Juventus man Adrien Rabiot and Monaco’s Youssouf Fofana.

Neves will be the most expensive of the three and is valued at close to €100m, while Rabiot would be available for nothing as his contract expires at the end of the campaign.

READ MORE: Latest Man Utd transfer rumours

As for Amrabat, he has failed to live up to expectations at Old Trafford.

After recovering from injury upon joining Man Utd, Amrabat struggled to get going.

Initially he was played out of position at left-back by Erik ten Hag amidst an injury crisis in the position.

Amrabat was especially poor in this role in the 3-2 home defeat by Galatasaray in the Champions League.

But the Moroccan has since also laboured since being moved to his preferred position at central midfield.

He has now fallen well down the pecking order, although Amrabat has still occasionally used him at left-back.

The Moroccan established himself as one of Europe’s most admired central midfielders at Fiorentina last season, with Barcelona and Chelsea also trying to sign him during the January transfer window of 2023.

Amrabat at Fiorentina 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 27-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.

Amrabat has been unable to replicate those performances at United.