Liverpool and Manchester United target Sofyan Amrabat has been left out of Fiorentina’s squad to face Rapid Vienna in the Europa Conference League on Thursday night.
United have been strongly linked with Amrabat since last summer’s World Cup, with the club having not ruled out signing a new central midfielder regardless of outgoings before the deadline. Indeed, Ten Hag worked with Amrabat between 2015 and 2017 while both were at Eredivisie side Utrecht.
Moreover, Liverpool had been keen on Amrabat and, as per Sky Sports Italy, held talks with Fiorentina via intermediaries earlier this summer.
Viola News even reported that Klopp personally called Amrabat to convince him to move to Anfield.
Fiorentina could be convinced to sell the player after he was left out of the club’s Conference League play-off first-leg fixture.
The Morocco international has reportedly not travelled with the squad to Austria and is said to be training alone back in Florence.
While Amrabat is still very much part of Fiorentina’s plans for the season, it has been claimed that a bid of around £17million to £21million could convince the club to consider a sale.
The 27-year-old’s Fiorentina contract expires next summer but the club have an option to extend it by a further year.
Speaking on Amrabat’s future last week, Fiorentina director Daniele Prade claimed that the club were open to allowing the midfielder the opportunity to move to a “top club”.
Prade told the club’s YouTube channel: “The situation is clear, he wants to join a top club and we want to satisfy him.
“But if we receive no offers, he will stay with us. We don’t have a player like him in the team.”
Amrabat has been linked with Europe’s elite since playing a starring role in Morrocco’s run to the semi-final of the World Cup last December.
While Liverpool have signed Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai and Wataru Endo this summer, midfield remains the side’s most glaring weakness.
The Merseyside club lack depth in that area, having seen Fabinho and Jordan Henderson both depart to Saudi Arabia last month and the likes of Naby Keita, James Milner and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain leave in June upon the expiry of their contracts.
The Reds had tried to reinforce their midfield on several occasions this summer, only to be rebuffed.
Liverpool agreed a British transfer record fee of £111million with Brighton for Moises Caicedo only for the Ecuador international to sign for Chelsea over the Merseyside club.
Southampton’s teenage sensation Romeo Lavia also decided to join the Blues over the Anfield club.
It appears Liverpool have had a further setback, having seen a bid worth £25.5million for Andre rebuffed, according to Anfield Watch.
The Brazilian club reportedly intend to keep Andre for the remainder of the Copa Libertadores pursuit.
And it is allegedly unlikely the Reds will go back in for the 22-year-old in January upon the end of the Brazilian domestic season.
Indeed, the publication has claimed Andre’s release clause is actually in advance of £68million, rather than the £34million that has been reported elsewhere.
Fluminense consider Andre as one of their star players and are refusing to let him leave this summer, as they look to win the Copa Libertadores for the first time in their history. They take on Olimpia on August 25 in the first leg of the competition’s quarter-finals.
However, the Rio-based club are said to be open to accepting a fee for Andre now with a view to letting the midfielder depart in the January window.
Liverpool take on Newcastle at St James’ Park on Sunday, with Endo, Szoboszlai and Mac Allister likely to start in midfield, with the latter’s red card from Saturday’s 3-1 win over Bournemouth having been overturned following a successful appeal.