Sofyan Amrabat could have made the move to rivals Liverpool over Manchester United in 2023 after his agent arranged a covert meeting with then-boss Jurgen Klopp.

United were getting down to business with then-boss Erik ten Hag, who had just started his reign as manager at Old Trafford. The club had gotten rid of a few midfielders in the summer transfer window of 2022, including Nemanja Matic, Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingard and Juan Mata.

So in the January window of 2023, Ten Hag was planning on signing some new playmakers for his team, and Amrabat was one of those footballers he had shortlisted.

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However, Liverpool boss Klopp could have ruined the transfer for United in the eleventh hour, as the German had a meeting with the Moroccan's agent during that transfer window. The now-28-year-old impressed the Premier League with his performances at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, and several teams showed interest in the star.

United and Liverpool were two clubs that were interested, as well as the La Liga giants Barcelona. However, the midfielder had to wait until the summer of 2023 to get his big move to the top flight of English football.

Ten Hag also had a previous working relationship with Amrabat, and he utilised his time at Utrecht with the footballer to his advantage. Klopp signed the likes of Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, and Ryan Gravenberch during that summer, and United secured the loan deal for Amrabat.

Mason Mount also joined United in a £58.3 million deal over five years, while Amrabat stayed at Old Trafford for one season.

His time with the Red Devils didn't work out so well, however, as Amrabat struggled with injury initially and failed to impress in his 30 appearances for the club. The midfielder was then loaned to Fenerbahce last summer and signed for the Turkish club permanently in a £10million move.

United have moved on from this period in their history, with Ten Hag losing his job earlier this season following a poor run of form after his FA Cup victory over Manchester City in the 2023/24 season.

Ruben Amorim was announced as new head coach of United in November last year, on a running contract that will last until 2027. Amorim is yet to make any transfers in the January window, but fans will be waiting in anticipation to see if he will also convince other players to come to Old Trafford.

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