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Manchester United have been heavily linked with a move for Fiorentina star Sofyan Amrabat for months and have been expected to finally make their move over the next few days.
The Peoples Person covered a report on that very expectation, however it has now come to light that the club need to prioritise their outgoing even more than previously thought before an approach can be made.
By selling Fred to Fenerbahce last week, United took a significant step towards getting the former protege of Erik ten Hag to Old Trafford.
But according to Fabrizio Romano in his column for CaughtOffside, they will need to offload another midfielder if they are to afford the transfer fee that the Moroccan will command.
“It’s gone a bit quiet on Sofyan Amrabat, but it simply remains the case that United have to sell two midfielders before signing Amrabat,” Romano said. “Fred is gone; the other one could be Donny van de Beek but there’s still no agreement with Real Sociedad.”
As reported by The Peoples Person, the La Liga outfit are looking at alternatives to the former Ajax player to strengthen their midfield, with Sociedad hesitant to commit to an obligation to buy.
They are also in discussions with Dynamo Moscow over a potential signing of 20-year-old Arsen Zakharyan for around €12m (£10.3m) and on significantly lower wages.
Should the Van de Beek deal collapse as a result of their interest in the Russian, Romano believes United may still have one more card to play in terms of outgoings, however.
“Another option could be Scott McTominay in case West Ham return or another club joins the race,” he said. “Still, for now Fiorentina have not received any official bid for Amrabat yet.”
West Ham saw a £30m bid for McTominay rejected last week, with Man United pricing their academy graduate at closer to £45m.
That gap in valuations seemingly put paid to any deal being struck, although with Kevin de Bruyne suffering a long-term injury in Man City’s season opener against Burnley, The Sky Blues are expected to accelerate their plans to sign Lucas Paqueta from The Hammers.
West Ham are already flush with cash after the £105m sale of Declan Rice to Arsenal, but with City expected to improve upon their initial £70m offer for the Brazil midfielder, David Moyes will likely push for his preferred target in McTominay, knowing full well that Man United’s price will be well within his club’s means.
