Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed that midfielder Casemiro would like to leave the Spanish giants in favour of a new challenge.
This will come as welcome news to Manchester United, who, according to Fabrizio Romano, are pushing to sign the Brazilian before the end of the summer transfer window.
Manchester United will send official bid for Casemiro tonight in order to close the deal on Friday. €60m fee, €10m add-ons – so Real Madrid are expected to accept in the next hours. ???? #MUFC
Man Utd offering contract valid until June 2026 plus option for further season. pic.twitter.com/E6kKvKK1Q3
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 18, 2022
The Red Devils, led by new manager Erik ten Hag, have endured an abysmal start to the new 2022-23 season.
Losing both of their two opening games, including a 2-1 home defeat against Brighton and Hove Albion and a four-nil thrashing away to Brentford, it is clear that the 20-time league winners need an injection of new talent.
One area of obvious weakness is in defensive midfield. Forced to rely on Fred and Scott McTominay, ten Hag knows that his options at the base of his midfield are poor, so delving back into the transfer market after just two games has become a necessity.
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Although previously linked with Barcelona’s Frenkie De Jong and Juventus’ Adrien Rabiot, it now appears that Madrid’s Casemiro is the midfielder of choice, and what a signing the South American could prove to be.
Confirming Casemiro’s desire to sound out a new challenge before he retires, Madrid manager Ancelotti, who spoke to reporters on Friday, as quoted by Marca, said: “I have not tried to convince him. I have talked a lot with him, I am very confident with him, he has helped us a lot.
“Listening to his will and desire there is no way to go back. You have to consider this.
“I don’t know what will happen in the next few hours, if he stays or doesn’t. If he does not stay, my thanks are great because he has done it and he is doing it very well.
“I spoke with him this morning. He wants to try a new challenge, a new opportunity.
It's been another intriguing weekend of La Liga action and our friends at @LaLigaLowdown have done a superb job in rounding it up in their tri-weekly newsletter. https://t.co/1rkyd0aecO
— Football España (@footballespana_) August 22, 2022
“The club understands him for what he has done and for the person he is. There are negotiations, nothing is official, but his will to get out of it is clear. If there is an agreement, we have resources to replace it.”
Expected to cost up to €70m, Casemiro won’t come cheap but his credentials speak for themselves. Having lifted 18 major trophies with Los Blancos, including five Champions League, the 30-year-old, if he were to make the switch, would arrive in England as one of the league’s most decorated players.