January target “offered to play for free” at Barcelona for second half of the season

Barcelona’s financial issues are well documented, and they forced the club to forego any incomings in the recent January transfer window, despite the departures of Memphis Depay and Hector Bellerin.

Despite the restrictions placed on them, Barca club officials still tried to make a late move for Fiorentina midfielder Sofyan Amrabat. The 26-year-old has a sensational World Cup for Morocco, as he helped his nation become the first African side to reach the last four of the world’s biggest football tournament.

Both player and club were very interested in the move, but Amrabat’s current club Fiorentina shut down any chances of a deal being completed. New revelations about the negotiations between the three parties have come to light, with journalist Achraf Ben Ayad claiming that the midfielder offered to play at Barca for free for the second half of the season, and he was willing to play the La Liga leaders’ fees himself.

Ben Ayad also stated that Amrabat rejected moves to both Manchester United and Chelsea in order to join Barcelona, but Fiorentina ultimately pulled the plug on the deal.

Despite being unable to agree terms in January, Barcelona are expected to return with a bid for Amrabat in the summer, as they look to add reinforcements to their squad for next season.