Barcelona could face FFP difficulties in pursuit of Serie A midfielder

Barcelona are expected to face a severe hurdle in their pursuit of Fiorentina midfielder Sofyan Amrabat, reports journalist Fabrizio Romano.

It must be remembered that Amrabat, 26, was a firm target for Barcelona during the January transfer window. We reported that the Blaugrana made a last-ditch attempt to land the midfielder on the deadline day after raising money from Memphis Depay’s sale to Atletico Madrid.

Barcelona’s ask was to get the midfielder on loan but Fiorentina were not content with the lack of a mandatory purchase option. Given the ever-rising wage bill, Barcelona just could not afford to add another liability, meaning that they were forced to pull out of the deal.

As of today, Romano says that Amrabat’s preference is to move to La Liga next season, but Barcelona could once again face issues while complying with the Financial Fair Play.

All this could give the Premier League suitors an opportunity to take advantage of the team’s delicate situation. It is said that the likes of Chelsea and Liverpool have expressed interest in Amrabat before.

And given that the Moroccan is now open for a move, the Premier League duo might as well look to pounce on the given opportunity.

For Chelsea, after an underwhelming season, the team is slowly being built from scratch and with the departure of Jorginho coupled with N’Golo Kante’s contractual situation, they might as well need a new defensive midfielder.

Liverpool, on the other hand, have more or less endured a similar season. Their approach for Amrabat might come on the back of Naby Keita’s exit in the summer. For now, however, the Premier League teams have decided to stay quiet.

“Premier League is completely quiet for Sofyan Amrabat now, it was one of the possibilities in January,” says Romano.

“Now I’m told the focus is on possible La Liga move – but Barcelona move depends on the Financial Fair Play so it’s too early to say,” he added.

Come summer, though, one cannot really discount anything, to say the least. With Sergio Busquets’ continuity far from certain, what is clear is that Barcelona need a new defensive midfielder at the club, even if their captain decides to stay for one more year.

Whether it is Amrabat or someone else that arrives at the club come summer remains to be seen.