Liverpool made to wait until the summer for World Cup midfielder amid January desire

ScoreLive December 9, 2022 0

Premier League giants Liverpool may have to look elsewhere for a possible January transfer move to reinforce their options in the center of the park after Moroccan star Sofyan Amrabat may be off the table.

The 26-year-old Fiorentina midfielder has been one of the leading lights for Walid Regragui’s Ousud Al-atlas this winter after Morocco shocked the 2022 World Cup by topping Group F before defeating Spain on penalties in the round of sixteen to set up a date with Portugal in the quarterfinals tomorrow.

His performances in service of his country have drawn interest from a number of top clubs around Europe but Liverpool has been in discussions with the play per reports from Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg,

🚨 NEW: Liverpool have been in talks with Sofyan Amrabat, with Julian Ward being a big fan of the 26-year-old. At this stage, Fiorentina doesn’t want to sell him in January and Amrabat wants to make the next step in summer. #lfc [@Plettigoal]
— Anfield Watch (@AnfieldWatch) December 9, 2022

Those talks have appeared to not bear fruit, however, after Plettenberg relayed that Fiorentina have no interest in losing one of their prized assets halfway through the 2022-23 Serie A campaign

Additionally, Amrabat himself is said to not be keen on a mid-season switch and would instead prefer to make the jump in the next step of his career during the next summer transfer window.

That may still suit Liverpool overall given the fact that Jürgen Klopp is likely to be in need of multiple midfield reinforcements in the summer after both James Milner and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will be leaving on free transfers.

One potential hurdle to negotiate is the expected push for England starlet and Borussia Dortmund wunderkind Jude Bellingham, which is sure to set the club back in excess of £100m, and given the veritable chaos at board level with Liverpool up for sale and wholesale changes in the hierarchical structure in the works as well, heavy spending may not be on the cards.

As such, a move for Amrabat now could possibly keep the fee in a certain price range before his stock potentially increases further as the club season continues.