Liverpool talks begun with Sofyan Amrabat

Liverpool have been linked with a move for Sofyan Amrabat in January and now a new update has emerged from a reliable source on the club’s pursuit of the player.

What’s the latest?

Foot Mercato journalist Anas Bakhkhar gave an interview with Empire of the Kop and provided an update on Liverpool’s interest in the Fiorentina and Morocco midfielder Amrabat.

Bakhkhar told the publication:

“We’ve talked about it in Foot Mercato that Liverpool’s coach Jurgen Klopp has met the agent of Sofyan Amrabat, we can also mention that his brother, Nordin Amrabat, who has been working on his brother’s career for a long time now, was also there and they both met with the coach.

“It was a very good meeting, it was positive and they will be meeting a few days after the end of the World Cup to see if the interest is the same from Jurgen Klopp.

“After his performances in Qatar, the interest shouldn’t change and there will be other meetings to see the demands of Fiorentina, also the demands of his agent – to see if that transfer will go ahead or not.”

He could replace Fabinho

It is no secret that Jurgen Klopp and the powers at Anfield are on a recruitment drive over the next few months in order to acquire the services of midfielders who can be part of the next generation of the German coach’s successful Merseyside squad.

Both Enzo Fernandez and Jude Bellingham are two players that the six-time Champions League winners are reportedly pushing a deal for, and Amrabat could complete the set in their rebuild in the centre of the pitch.

With Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and James Milner out of contract in the summer, and Jordan Henderson and Thiago Alcantara well into their 30s at this point, it is becoming a matter of urgency for the Reds to refresh.

Amrabat and his teammates have captured the attention of the world with their performances at the World Cup in Qatar, with Morocco becoming the first African team to ever reach the semi-finals of the prestigious tournament and it’s safe to say the midfielder has been a key player in their record-breaking progression.

Over five appearances, the €40m-valeyed (£34m)midfielder has been nothing short of a “monster” – as dubbed by Charlotte Coates. He tallied up an 84% pass completion rate and won 51% of his duels, as well as averaging 50 touches, 31.4 accurate passes, 1.2 interceptions, 2.6 tackles and 1.8 clearances per game.

In fact, Amrabat could be the perfect player to push Fabinho for his place in the team as the Liverpool ace has hit a poor run of form over the season so far. Indeed, the Brazilian looks like a replaceable asset at the moment having recorded fewer tackles and interceptions per game (2.9) than he did last term (3) and fewer still than in 2020/21 (3.4).

It suggests from a defensive point of view that he has regressed but his attacking numbers are no better either. He made 0.7 key passes per game throughout 2021/22 but that has slipped to 0.4 this term.

As a result, some healthy competition for his position and quality depth could be a valuable asset for Klopp over the second half of the season and beyond.

With that being said, the signing of Amrabat could be a great opportunity for Klopp to strengthen the centre of the pitch at Anfield and if a deal could be done in January it could be a huge boost in Liverpool’s pursuit of earning a Champions League spot.