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West Ham told chances of signing Fiorentina star Sofyan Amrabat as Declan Rice replacement
Fiorentina midfielder Sofyan Amrabat once again caught the eye despite defeat to West Ham in the UEFA Conference League final.
West Ham have been told they have no chance of signing Sofyan Amrabat this summer by his brother Nordin, who claims the Fiorentina midfielder is dreaming of a transfer to an elite European club amid interest from Barcelona. The Moroccan maestro, who put his name up in lights at the World Cup as the Atlas Lions reached the semi-finals, could be available when the transfer window opens as he continues to catch the eye in Serie A.
West Ham are due to explore the market for potential replacements for Declan Rice and Amrabat is one of several names that could fit the bill due to his stylistic similarities to the England international.
However, ex-Watford winger Nordin Amrabat claims his younger brother is gunning for a bigger move should he leave La Viola.
He was asked by ESPN NL: “Would your brother [Sofyan Amrabat] be interested in playing for West Ham?”
To which he responded: “No, my brother wants to go to the top, and his desire is to play in Spain.”
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The interview then pressed the 36-year-old for answers, adding: “Is that realistic? What’s the top? Top four [clubs], top six?”
He then clarified: “I don’t want to be arrogant, but a top 10 club in the world with a nice background would be realistic.
"After the World Cup, I know for sure that he is ready for it. At Barcelona, he is high on the list, but you know Barca’s financial situation.
"There are more clubs interested, and today is a nice opportunity to show himself against Declan Rice and Lucas Paqueta. Let’s see after the vacation, hopefully with a trophy in his bag.”
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Sadly for Amrabat, he did not leave with a trophy in the bag as West Ham ran out 2-1 winners over Fiorentina courtesy of Jarrod Bowen's last-minute winner for the Hammers.
Now the Moroccan is set to assess his future and he has already made it clear he is firmly interested in playing in the Premier League one day.
He recently said when asked if he would be open to moving to England: "Of course, the Premier League is a fantastic league, one of the strongest in the world."
"It would be nice to play there one day, but it's not that I want only to go to England, because Spain is nice, Serie A is a nice league.
"Football has changed a lot, it's more physical, you have more to be an athlete, the tempo and intensity is higher.
"Of course, in England the intensity is very high, so I think it would suit me."
Amrabat was loosely linked with both Liverpool and Arsenal after the World Cup but neither club followed up their interest in the January window.
Tottenham had previously come close to signing the player under Antonio Conte before the deal collapsed with Fiorentina.