With midfielder Sergio Busquets confirming that he is to leave Barcelona, the club are out to move quickly to snap up a replacement.

Morocco’s Sofyan Amrabat was close  to joining Barça after his impressive World Cup, and only has a year left on his contract at Fiorentina.

Given Amrabat is nearing the end of  his contract, Barça don’t want to pay more than €25m. Their hopes of a deal are helped by his eagerness to join. 

Barça’s fans are already well acquainted with the player, after he incurred their wrath following Morocco’s World Cup win over Spain.

Having helped knock La Roja out in Qatar, Amrabat posted an image of himself carrying Spain’s Barça midfielder Gavi over his shoulder.

He also shared a meme that  boasted of his domination of  Spain's entire midfield three. The  trio were all Barça players.  

Amrabat apologised in the wake  of the controversy, saying: “A  person who manages my Instagram account saw it as a joke.”

He has said that he idolised Barça midfield legends Xavi Hernández  and Andrés Iniesta as a kid: “They  were such intelligent players.”

One of Amrabat’s key strengths is his impressive physique. He gets through  a ton of work, particularly when it comes to winning back the ball.

The 26-year-old is a different kind of anchorman to Busquets, as he tends to sit deeper. He would allow Gavi and Pedri more attacking freedom.