Amrabat flop 'dreaming' of Old Trafford return after transfer snub

Former Manchester United midfielder Sofyan Amrabat still has high hopes of playing for the club again, despite the club opting against triggering an option to sign him permanently.

Morocco international Amrabat joined United on loan from Fiorentina at the end of last summer's transfer window, having previously played under manager Erik ten Hag in Utrecht. The Premier League side paid an initial £8.5million, with an option to make the move permanent for an additional £21.5m, but this was not exercised.

Amrabat played less than 1,000 minutes in the Premier League, but started the final three games of the season and played the full 90 minutes as United won the FA Cup. After that game, he indicated talks were still ongoing regarding his future.

"Staying is certainly an option," he said as he reflected on a "difficult season" for himself and for the English club. He is now back at his parent club, but hasn't given up hope of being a United player in the 2024-25 season.

According to Corriere dello Sport (via Sport Witness), Amrabat continues to dream of an Old Trafford return despite interest from clubs in Turkey and elsewhere. The same publication suggests €15m (£12.7m) could be enough to land the player - a discount on the sum agreed before the loan.

Amrabat joined Fiorentina in 2020, playing 107 times for the club - including in their 2023 Europa Conference League final defeat to West Ham. However, he has just one year remaining on his contract with the Viola.

Ten Hag has yet to add to their squad for the coming season after extending his own contract. However, the arrival of part-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe earlier in the year, as well as a new backroom team including Dan Ashworth, Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox, is expected to be followed by a busy summer.

One man who does appear close to a Manchester United move is Joshua Zirkzee. The Bologna and Netherlands forward was linked earlier in the year, and is understood to have a release clause worth around £34m.

According to The Athletic, United are closing in on a deal for the former Bayern Munich man, who scored 11 times in Serie A last season as Bologna qualified for the Champions League. The 23-year-old made his senior Netherlands debut on Saturday, coming off the bench as the Oranje beat Turkey in the quarter-finals of the European Championships.

United are on the lookout for attacking reinforcements after Omari Forson joined Monza and Anthony Martial left the club on the expiry of his contract. They are also expected to make at least one addition in defence, with Raphael Varane also ending his spell with the club at the end of June.