Liverpool have held a long-standing interest in Sofyan Amrabat and now a new update has emerged on the club’s pursuit of the player this summer.

How much will Sofyan Amrabat cost?

According to The Athletic, the Fiorentina midfielder is named as one of the potential midfield options for Liverpool.

As per the report, Jurgen Klopp has been forced to revisit the transfer market for another midfield prospect due to the imminent depature of Jordan Henderson and the expected exit of Fabinho, who have both been subject to offers from the Saudi Pro League.

It is claimed that due to a change of strategy, Liverpool have reignited their interest in Amrabat as they endeavour to bolster their deep-lying roles in the centre of the pitch.

It is reported that the 26-year-old will cost around €40m (£35m) to sign this summer and has been attracting strong interest from bitter rivals Manchester United too, so if Liverpool are serious about making a concrete move for the midfielder, they should act fast.

How good is Sofyan Amrabat?

With only a few weeks remaining before Liverpool return to action in the Premier League, Klopp and his new sporting director Jorg Schmadtke will be making unexpected plans to identify the right players to join Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai in the centre of the pitch next season.

Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano revealed this morning that a full agreement has been reached for Jordan Henderson to join Al Ettifaq, whilst Fabinho’s move to the Saudi Pro League is in the works too.

As a result, the signing of Amrabat could be a great piece of business for the Reds, as he not only possesses the profile to replace either expected departures, but could also be the second coming of Xabi Alonso at Anfield next season.

The former Liverpool midfield shield was renowned for his ‘legendary’ passing range, domination in the centre of the pitch, manipulation of play and his rare ability to read the game, traits that led him to become one of the most highly-respected players of his generation.

Indeed, Amrabat will have a long way to go to meet the high standards Alonso never failed to meet in every game he played over his wonderful career, but does deliver undeniable similarities to the Spanish World Cup-winning midfielder.

The Moroccan midfielder – hailed as an “absolute icon” by football talent scout Jacek Kulig – ranked in the top 8% of his positional peers across the top five European leagues for pass completion and progressive passes, as per FBref.

As well as ranking in the top 7% of his peers in the Serie A over last season for pass completion, long-pass completion, passes into the final third, touches in midfield and carries, he displayed not only a unique passing range but clear dominance and huge ability in retaining possession.

When comparing Amrabat’s output to both Henderson and Fabinho’s last season, the Fiorentina monster outperformed the Liverpool midfield duo in a number of key defensive attributes including percentage of dribblers tackled (55.2%), successful take-ons (70.6%) and pass completion rate (88.8%).

With that being said, it really depends on what Klopp is looking for in his successors whether Amrabat would be a worthy candidate for Liverpool, however, there is no doubt that his incredible passing range and defensive capabilities could see him shine like Alonso once did on Merseyside.