Todd Boehly received a swift rejection from Fiorentina when he made a late deadline day move to sign Sofyan Amrabat.
The Chelsea owner has taken a hands-on approach when it comes to recruitment since arriving at Stamford Bridge. He has visibly displayed the Blues' wealth, smashing the British transfer-record this week by signing the World Cup's best young player in Enzo Fernandez.
But while a deal was being struck with Benfica, Boehly also had his sights on another of the World Cup's biggest stars - Amrabat, the impressive Moroccan. Fiorentina quickly turned down a loan approach and then quoted a massive fee, according to the Daily Mail.
They then gave Boehly something of a reality check by asking him how he'd feel if they rocked up late on deadline day and asked to take one of his players. The timing would have left the Serie A outfit with little to no time to find a replacement, thus no deal was done.
Barcelona had also been keen on Amrabat, but no deal was struck. Fiorentina have previously lost their leading lights to Europe's major outfits, the most recent being Dusan Vlahovic last season as he joined Juventus.
However the Moroccan has said: “I have a lot of respect for my club; it’s a great team. I have a great coach and a great relationship with the owner Rocco Commisso, who brought me to Fiorentina, and also with Joe Barone (General Manager) and Daniele Prade (Sporting Director). I have a lot of respect for them and for the club.”
Chelsea failure to add Amrabat by no means dents their quality or depth in midfield. The capture of Fernandez compliments the players already in the squad, albeit Jorginho did leave for rivals Arsenal on deadline day.
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Conor Gallagher didn't secure a loan exit meaning he remains an option for Graham Potter. N'Golo Kante, Mason Mount, Mateo Kovacic and Ruben Loftus-Cheek are also pushing for starts in west London. The Blues boss has confessed that it will be tough juggling his players: "There's going to be frustration at times because only 11 can play."
The Blues have also been hit with a minor blow in their efforts to win the Champions League. They've been drawn in the last 16 against Borussia Dortmund but can only add three players to their European squad - it means one of Enzo Fernandez, Joao Felix, Mykhaylo Mudryk or Benoit Badiashile will miss out.
Despite spending huge sums Chelsea's ownership are not demanding a huge upturn in results from Potter, who has seen his side struggle for form, and are determined to give him time.
