Ten Hag seething as Fulham plot hijack of Man Utd move for top target; Tottenham star also discussed
Fulham are set to rival Manchester United for Fiorentina midfielder Sofyan Amrabat, who is considered to be Erik ten Hag’s top midfield target.
The Red Devils have been working on a deal for the Morocco international for some time and saw a loan offer rejected for him on Wednesday.
Fiorentina, understandably, have no intention of loaning out Amrabat and will demand a fee in the region of €30m (approx. £25.7m) for his services. He has one year remaining on his contract (with the option for one more), and wants to leave the Italian club.
Fiorentina president Rocco Commisso recently said he will ‘try’ and make a move happen for Amrabat, claiming that ‘multiple negotiations’ are ongoing.
Man Utd are still doing everything they can to sign Amrabat before the deadline. As per Fabrizio Romano, they are set to enter another round of talks with Fiorentina tonight, but their plans could be scuppered by Fulham.
The Cottagers are looking to bring in a replacement for star player Joao Palhinha, who is desperate to join Bayern Munich.
According to transfer journalist Gianluca Di Marzio, they have turned to Amrabat as a potential option. He claims that Fulham are now ‘working on a €30m deal for the Fiorentina midfielder.’
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Fulham consider Hojbjerg move amid Amrabat talks
Amrabat’s would still prefer to join Man Utd over Fulham, but negotiations are evidently proving to be extremely difficult for the Red Devils.
The reason that they went for an initial loan offer for the midfielder was because of Financial Fair Play issues, rather than a transfer strategy.
Man Utd have already spent around £164m this summer, which is already well over the £120m that they were originally thought to have available to them.
This could give Fulham a chance to swoop for Amrabat’s signature, but Man Utd will continue to do everything they can, including selling players, to make a deal happen.
Amrabat isn’t the only midfielder on Fulham’s shortlist, though. As per a report from the Athletic, Fulham are also ‘in talks’ with Tottenham over signing Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.
Ange Postecoglou is happy to let the midfielder leave. He is a target for several clubs, including Spanish giants Atletico Madrid.
The 28-year-old is yet to start a Premier League game for Spurs this season, with his only start of the season coming during the penalty shootout defeat to Fulham in the League Cup on Tuesday.
With that in mind, it will be interesting to see if Fulham prioritise a move for Amrabat or Hojbjerg on deadline day, assuming Palhinha does leave the London club.
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