Barcelona rivalled by Manchester United in race to sign €40 million midfield enforcer

Sofyan Amrabat continues to be on the radars of FC Barcelona as a possible replacement for departing club captain Sergio Busquets.

The 26-year-old Fiorentina midfielder was close to joining the Blaugrana back in January, but the Italian outfit decided to block the move. Links have continued to persist though and it is believed that manager Xavi Hernandez is still in contact with the Moroccan enforcer.

However, according to Calciomercato, Barcelona will have to face competition from Premier League heavyweights Manchester United in the race to sign Amrabat.

The Red Devils are also in the market for reinforcements in the middle of the park and have shown an interest in the Fiorentina ace.

And, as per the report, Manchester United would be in a much better position than Barcelona to meet the €40 million valuation set on the midfielder by Fiorentina.

While that might be the case, Amrabat, for his part, is understood to be prioritising a move to Catalonia. His brother, Nordin Amrabat, confirmed as much in a recent interview, as he said:

“He wants to go to the top and his desire is to play in Spain. At Barcelona, he is high on the list but you know Barça’s financial situation.”

Amrabat’s desire to play for Barcelona gives them an edge over Manchester United in the battle for his signing. However, given their Financial Fair Play situation, the Catalan heavyweights must need to sell a few players before they can make moves in the market.

Whether Amrabat is prepared to wait for the La Liga champions to make an approach and risk missing out on a chance to move to the Premier League will be interesting to see.