Manchester United had to wait until deadline day to secure the midfield signing that manager Erik ten Hag was asking for all throughout the summer transfer window.
Sofyan Amrabat arrived after plenty of delay and a lot of haggling with regards to the fee, with United agreeing an initial one-year loan deal with the option to make it permanent next summer.
Fiorentina are being paid an initial £8.5 million as the loan fee while United will need to stump up £21.5 million to permanently acquire the Moroccan’s services.
Contract details reveal secret clause
Interestingly, the 26-year-old’s current deal with the Serie A side lasts until 2025 and with only one year remaining, there was a chance United or any other club could potentially agree a cheaper deal next summer.
However, as per Italian outlet Il Tirreno, Fiorentina have included a secret clause in the deal which stipulates that Amrabat’s contract will automatically extend by another year if United do not trigger the permanent clause.
“Should the English team ever fail to sign the midfielder, the Viola have reserved the automatic right to a further contract extension until 2026, so as not to risk a double whammy.”
This means, the Moroccan will still have two years left in his deal with the UEFA Conference League finalists and his market value is thus protected.
Amrabat had already decided to extend his deal until 2025 last December after the conclusion of the World Cup, where he guided his national team to an impressive fourth-place finish.
Amrabat’s injury concerns
United fans are desperate to see the midfielder in action considering the numerous injuries plaguing the team and the lack of balance in the centre of the park.
He arrived with an initial back issue which was picked up during the club medical and the player also had to withdraw from national team training.
While the Morocco national coach insisted it was just a precautionary reaction, the fact remains that Amrabat has not played too much football recently and did not even have a proper pre-season.
Ten Hag should ideally get him up to speed to avoid further injuries and ensure a smooth start to life as a United player.