"He rejected the big teams" - Turkish club's president claims Sofyan Amrabat 'waited' for move to club before joining Manchester United
Galatasaray president Erden Timur has admitted that Sofyan Amrabat was close to joining his team just before his move to Manchester United.
The Red Devils were in pursuit of Amrabat for large swathes of the summer transfer window. The player also reportedly drew interest from other teams, including Galatasaray and Liverpool. Apparently, the Turkish club were very close to signing him.
Timur said, via CNN Turkey (h/t GOAL):
"We largely agreed with Sofyan Amrabat. With Fiorentina, we were at a level where we could reach a point. Manchester United came on Wednesday evening, and as the player has said before, his former manager was also there. … He rejected the big teams and waited for us, but it didn’t happen."
Manchester United eventually signed the Morocco international on deadline day for €10 million. They have the option to make the move permanent at the end of the season for €25 million.
Amrabat, 27, has experience working under Erik ten Hag during their time together in the Netherlands at Utrecht. He has yet to play a competitive game this season for either Fiorentina or Manchester United.
Galatasaray, meanwhile, shifted their focus to signing Tanguy Ndombele from Tottenham Hotspur on a loan deal.
Manchester United's Sofyan Amrabat talks about Erik ten Hag's role in his career
Sofyan Amrabat recently spoke about Erik ten Hag's impact on his career, remiscing their time together in the Eredivisie.
The Moroccan midfielder came through Utrecht's youth academy and became a regular under Ten Hag in the 2015-16 season. Overall, he played 50 times under the Dutchman across two seasons.
In his first interview after signing for Manchester United, Amrabat told the club's website:
"It was very important because I was very young. I was 18, 19 years old, and he gave me the chance to play in the first team with Utrecht. We had a fantastic time, a really good season. I learned a lot from him. So maybe he's one of the most important people in my career for now."
Amrabat has been a dependable defensive midfielder for teams like Feyenoord, Hellas Verona and Fiorentina. However, it was his display at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar that really drew clubs' attention towards him.
Amrabat played all seven games as the Atlas Lions recorded a historic fourth-placed finish, the best by an African nation in competition history.