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Manchester United are currently busy with revamping the midfield which had proved to be a major disappointment last season. Multiple departures are lined up while the club are on the verge of signing their top target.
Hannibal Mejbri has joined Championship side Burnley on a permanent deal while Scott McTominay is on his way to Napoli after the Italian side won the race for his signature.
Christian Eriksen is another midfielder who has been linked with a move away, having fallen down the pecking order but so far, no concrete bids have arrived.
In great news for the fans, Manuel Ugarte is coming to Manchester for his medical after United belatedly agreed terms with Paris Saint-Germain.
Midfield revamp
His deal had been dragging on for a long time now with the Red Devils even leaving negotiations at one point due to PSG’s excessive demands despite the player not being in Luis Enrique’s plans.
At that point, the 20-time English league champions were considering going back in for Sofyan Amrabat, who had spent last season on loan at Old Trafford after Erik ten Hag fought for his inclusion.
The move seemed to be perfect on paper with the club needing fresh legs to back up an ageing Casemiro but the loan did not pan out the way the manager had envisaged.
The Moroccan struggled to adapt to the pace of play in England and having arrived on the back of not having a proper pre-season did not help matters.
Ten Hag’s decision to play him as an emergency left-back dented the Fiorentina star’s confidence further and mistakes in big games meant an exit in January was likely.
Amrabat had a poor loan spell
But the defensive midfielder did end up getting a consistent run of games towards the end and his FA Cup final display against Manchester City was lauded by all.
While a permanent move was ruled out, a loan return was mooted but recently, those talks died down as the deal for Ugarte advanced.
And now it seems his chances of returning to Manchester are gone with the player open to moving to Turkiye to play for former United manager Jose Mourinho, currently in charge of Fenerbahce.
Negotiations are at an advanced stage with talks surrounding an initial loan deal with an obligation to buy for €15 million as per the reliable Gianluca Di Marzio.
“Contacts between Fiorentina and Fenerbahce are ongoing for the operation that could bring Sofyan Amrabat to Turkey.
Amrabat to Fenerbahce moving forward
“The two clubs are looking for an agreement on the details: they are working on a loan with an obligation to buy for a figure around 15 million euros.
“It should also be noted that Amrabat has already given his availability for the transfer. The parties are much closer than a few hours ago, when the negotiations had entered the heart of the matter.”
While not bringing back Amrabat is not that big of a blow, United could be left dangerously short of options even after Ugarte lands if injury were to strike.
Another midfielder is needed and United have lost their best bet at a late addition. Adrien Rabiot on a free could be the last hope in that regard.
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2024-08-27 22:00:28
