Sofyan Amrabat, who signed with Man United despite having concerns with his medical, was frequently mentioned by Liverpool as they pursued midfielders throughout the summer.
A handful of midfielders were expected to join Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai before the late additions of Wataru Endo and Ryan Gravenberch.
Amrabat, along with Gravenberch, Romeo Lavia, and Kalvin Phillips, were among those mentioned to Merseyside journalists prior to Fabinho’s £40 million transfer to Al-Ittihad.
The Moroccan midfielder had already been connected to Anfield in numerous World Cup-related publications, so this wasn’t the first time.
However, David Lynch stated in the middle of August that despite their having been interest in Amrabat, Liverpool will not be making an offer.
Amrabat eventually signed a transfer deadline day deal with Man United, with Fiorentina agreeing to a season-long loan for an initial payment of £8.5 million and an option to purchase for a further £21.4 million.
Given that Amrabat’s contract with Florence expires next summer and that he could theoretically sign with United as a free agent, the deal was odd.
2K0GH6G Bologna FC against. ACF, September 11, 2022, Renato Dall’Ara Stadium, Bologna, Italy, Amrabat depiction Italian soccer Serie A match between Fiorentina and
Details from his pre-signing medical, as revealed by The Athletic, may shed light on why United and not Liverpool pursued the deal.
Amrabat’s examinations, which followed recurrent back problems throughout the World Cup, are said to have “detected a minor back injury” by medical personnel.
Amrabat was widely regarded as one of the players of the tournament as Morocco advanced to the semi-finals in Qatar, where he needed painkiller shots to get through the matches.
Even if the injury is “not thought to be serious,” there may have been worries about how the problem would affect a 27-year-old in the long run.
Bringing in a player with documented fitness issues has dangers, but in United’s situation, they are somewhat cushioned by the fact that the deal is a loan.
If Liverpool had followed Amrabat and his problems remained, it would not only have resulted in financial loss but also created a new issue for Jurgen Klopp’s team to deal with.
Nabil Fekir’s transfer to a club in 2018 fell through due to what was reportedly a knee injury, but the player has subsequently called that a “excuse” and placed the blame on his former agent.
Another player whose intended transfer to Liverpool fell through was Loic Remy, and Calvin Ramsay’s back problems went unnoticed when he joined from Aberdeen last summer, resulting in a protracted absence.
