Tottenham Hotspur are interested in a deal to bring Sofyan Amrabat to the Premier League in the January transfer window.
What’s the talk?
That’s according to a report by Italian publication La Repubblica (via Sport Witness), who claim that, despite Liverpool being reported to be keeping a close eye on the ACF Fiorentina midfielder ahead of the winter market, it is currently Tottenham who are the ‘most interested club’ in the 26-year-old – while Barcelona and Atlético Madrid are also said to be lurking.
However, the report goes on to suggest that Vincenzo Italiano’s side are unwilling to part with the Morocco international in January, with it being said that La Viola will only sanction the midfielder’s departure should they receive an offer in the region of €55m (£48m) – with Antonio Conte said to be ‘ready to talk’ to Fiorentina in order to ‘understand the margins of negotiation’.
“Perfect for Tottenham”
Considering just how impressive Amrabat was over Morocco’s remarkable run to the semi-finals of the Qatar World Cup this winter, coupled with the 26-year-old being exactly the profile of all-action midfielder Conte is well-known to love at his disposal, it is not hard to see why the Italian would be interested in a move for the Fiorentina star in January.
Indeed, over his six World Cup fixtures, the £17.5m-rated talent was the beating heart of Walid Regragui’s side, enjoying an average of 57 touches, playing 2.2 long balls and completing 37.3 total passes – at a success rate of 85% – per game, in addition to making an average of 2.5 tackles, one interception, 1.7 clearances and winning 3.8 duels per match.
These returns saw the £32k-per-week engine average an extremely impressive Sofascore match rating of 6.90, ranking him as the Atlas Lions’ joint eighth-best performer in the competition – although this does not truly reflect the midfielder’s importance to his side over the course of the tournament.
The 26-year-old once again impressed in Morocco’s 2-0 semi-final defeat to reigning world champions France on Wednesday evening, enjoying 92 touches of the ball, making one key pass, playing seven long balls and completing 67 total passes – at a success rate of 85% – as well as making two tackles, one clearance and winning five duels.
Despite the defeat, the midfielder’s display earned him a considerable amount of praise, with Nigel Adderley stating his belief on talkSPORT that Amrabat was his Man of the Match against the French:
“Amrabat, without any question. I think he’s been their player of the tournament. I think he ran the game at times tonight, it was incredible, just how deep the French were in the second half.
“And he was driving at them, and the main reason they were so deep was because of his energy and the way he just cajoled his entire team and cajoled the entire nation.”
Host Adrian Durham then added: “As a football fan, if a player gives 100% and more every single time he goes out there, but still ends up on the losing side, you can forgive him.
“He’s always going to have the support of the fans, that is always going to be the case with genuine fans. And everybody can see that Amrabat – yes they lost 2-0 – but he has given literally everything for the cause. Absolutely flat out at the end of every game, not just this one, every single game he’s played, he’s given the lot.”
As such, it would indeed appear highly advisable for Conte to do everything in his power to bring the 45-cap international to north London in the January transfer window, as it is clear for all to see that Amrabat’s drive, dedication and talent on the ball would very much look to make him “perfect for Tottenham” – in the words of Jamie O’Hara, speaking live on talkSPORT.
