Barcelona target Amrabat is closing in on Atletico Madrid transfer

The future of Sofyan Amrabat, after months of speculation, seems to be taking on an increasingly red-and-white colour. Atletico Madrid have moved ahead of Barcelona and Bayern Munich in the bidding for the Moroccan and are already preparing all the documentation for the possible arrival of the midfielder.

Amrabat has made it clear that his time in Serie A as a Fiorentina player is over, and in his mind he had the Spanish League as his first option, a competition in which two teams were very interested in acquiring his services: Barça and Atlético, a battle that seems to have been definitively wn by he team from the capital.

Diego Simeone is looking to reinforce the engine room this summer and Amrabat's profile seems to be a perfect fit for his tactical system. He would occupy Witsel's position in the pivot and would be a step up in level compared to the Belgian, as he possesses better ball control, among other characteristics.

LEAVING ITALY

The 26-year-old is valued at 30 million by Fiorentina, an affordable price for his age and his performances at the World Cup, a tournament in which Amrabat was one of the pillars of a Morocco team that made history by becoming the first African team to reach the semi-finals of a World Cup.

Amrabat's contract expires in 2024 but he does not want to wait to leave, seeing this summer as the perfect time to take a step forward in his career. The Atlético offices have already given the green light to complete his signing, as the pivot is also a target for other 'big fish' such as Bayern Munich and even Manchester United.

In parallel to this arrival, Atleti are also working to finalise the departure of another of their midfield players: Geoffrey Kondogbia has offers from Turkey and is considering a change of scenery. 

XAVI'S OPTIONS

With the imminent arrival of Amrabat at Atletico, Barça are running out of options in their search for a new pivot to replace Sergio Busquets, a vital position in Xavi Hernandez's scheme and one that is a priority in the club's offices.

Kimmich is not coming, and the question mark over Zubimendi is still hanging in the air, making an "all or nothing" move for a player like Gündogan seem increasingly realistic. Amrabat was liked by the azulgrana and had been in the orbit since the World Cup, but the Moroccan seems to have been more convinced by the offer from Atlético.