Liverpool want Sofyan Amrabat but the Fiorentina midfielder has decided that he would rather join Atletico Madrid this month.
That’s according to Foot Mercato, who claim that Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp met with the representatives of Amrabat at the back end of 2022.
Liverpool have seemingly been pushing to land Amrabat but the report claims the midfielder has a ‘completely different preference’.
It’s stated that Amrabat has been talking ‘at length’ with his entourage to decide on his preferred destination – and he has picked Atletico.
Amrabat has already publicly praised Diego Simeone but has now made it clear that he prefers Atletico to Liverpool or Tottenham Hotspur.
Whether Atletico can actually agree a deal with Fiorentina remains to be seen though.
Fiorentina are being ‘greedy’ with the asking price on Amrabat and Atletico don’t have a huge budget, so this deal could be tricky.
LIVERPOOL MAY NOW NEED TO SWITCH AWAY FROM SOFYAN AMRABAT
Tottenham’s interest hasn’t seemed quite as intense as Liverpool’s.
Spurs wanted Amrabat in January of last year but instead signed Rodrigo Bentancur, who has been superb in Antonio Conte’s midfield.
Spurs don’t really need Amrabat right now as a result, whereas Liverpool’s interest made a little more sense.
Fabinho hasn’t been at his best this season and Liverpool may well need to sign another anchor man in midfield to protect a rather exposed back four.
Amrabat fits the bill having excelled for Morocco at the World Cup, leading to Tuttosport director Guido Vaciago hailing him as a ‘crazy player’.
There is always risk attached to signing a player who excelled at the World Cup but you can see why Liverpool fancy Amrabat.
The 26-year-old is now seemingly holding out for Atletico instead though, meaning Liverpool may need to go back to the drawing board in search of a new holding midfielder.
