Liverpool target now apologises to teammates for trying to force £35m exit

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Fiorentina star Sofyan Amrabat has now apologised to his teammates having tried to force through a transfer to Barcelona. The Morocco ace was also a target of Liverpool in January.

That is according to Sport Mediaset, which reports Amrabat sought to push a deadline day move to Barcelona through. But the La Liga giants failed to agree on terms with his Serie A side. The midfielder was desperate to leave the Stadio Artemio Franchi to go to Camp Nou.

Barcelona only sought to sign Amrabat on loan from Fiorentina with the option to buy the 26-year-old for €35m (£31m). Add-ons may have taken the fee for his transfer up to €40m (£35m), too. But president Rocco Commisso gave a firm rejection to the Blaugrana’s offer.

Sport Mediaset adds that Amrabat took to Instagram to ask Fiorentina to take Barcelona’s offer for him. It quotes the midfielder as begging, ‘do it now, the future is not promised to anyone’. But Commisso opposed the conditions the Catalan powerhouse set in their offer.

Amrabat has now moved to avoid any issues in the Viola dressing room and apologised to his teammates and manager, Vincenzo Italiano. He addressed the side before their Coppa Italia quarter-final clash against Torino on Wednesday at the hotel which hosts Fiorentina.

Liverpool were leading the race for Sofyan Amrabat’s transfer from Fiorentina

Italiano and Fiorentina’s players accepted Amrabat’s apology, at which point he was added back into the team to face Torino. Italiano would also introduce the 46-cap international as a 74th-minute substitute. I Viola won the tie 2-1 after both sides scored during stoppage time.

Amrabat was also a target of Liverpool during the January transfer window as Jurgen Klopp admires the Fiorentina technician. Calciomercato noted before deadline day that the Reds were even on the front row for his services if Commisso lowered his €40m (£35) price tag.

No club had proven willing to meet the Viola president’s demands for a permanent swoop this January. Amrabat, who Roy Keane considered ‘outstanding’ at the World Cup, had also not pushed to leave the Stadio Artemio Franchi. But Barcelona’s offer saw him take action.