‘Looking really good’ - Liverpool prepare Sofyan Amrabat bid as transfer fee set

Liverpool have made Moroccan midfielder Sofyan Amrabat one of their top transfer targets and his club Fiorentina are braced for a bid.

The Serie A side are demanding a fee of around €45million for a player who was one of the stars of World Cup 2022 and helped propel his nation to an unexpected semi-final in Qatar.

Italian outlet Gazzetta dello Sport say Fiorentina have activated a year extension clause in Amrabat’s contract to give them extra bargaining power over a player they signed for €20m from Hellas Verona in January 2020.

Liverpool could face competition from Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur for the Netherlands born 26-year-old, but the Reds are in the driving seat having reportedly made contact with the player’s representative prior to the World Cup.

Amrabat, who liked what he heard from Jurgen Klopp, came through the ranks at Dutch side Utrecht and played for Feyenoord and Belgium’s Club Brugge before moving to Italy and establishing himself as a defensive mdfielder.

Former Liverpool defender Glen Johnson, who made 200 appearances for the Anfield club, has been impressed by what he has seen of Amrabat and thinks he would be an excellent edition to the Reds’ squad.

“He’s looking really good,” Johnson said. “He breaks the play up really well, he’s comfortable on the ball, but what’s impressed me most is how calm he is.”

The former full-back told The Games Cabin: “Morocco were right up against it and rather than just receiving the ball and booting it away in panic, he was still trying to play. I do believe he could be a good player for Liverpool.”