Barcelona were heavily linked with Fiorentina midfielder Sofyan Amrabat for the past six months, but appears the Blaugrana are no longer pursuing the Moroccan. Part of the reason is that Lionel Messi is no longer arriving.
According to Sport, the Blaugrana were keen on Amrabat if Messi were to arrive in order to add significant legs and stamina to the midfield. With Messi now 36, and Robert Lewandowski 34, Barcelona’s ability to press would have been reduced had they lined up with both. As such, they felt Amrabat might complement Messi’s arrival well.
🚨 The transfer operation of Amrabat was kept alive until Messi signed for Inter Miami. Xavi had the Moroccan in his plans due to his physicality. But now, with the arrival of Gündoğan, Xavi is only looking for a pivot. @sport
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) June 27, 2023
Thus, with Messi on his way to Inter Miami, Barcelona are now looking at players who are more skilled with the ball than without it, following the arrival of Ilkay Gundogan.
The German has played as the deepest midfielder before, but the consensus is that Xavi Hernandez, at least initially, wants to use Gundogan further forward. That means Barcelona must find him another player to replace Sergio Busquets at the base of midfield, which Xavi has declared as their main priority for this summer.
This is good news for Atletico Madrid, who lose a competitor in their big to sign Amrabat.
