Manchester United midfielder Casemiro has been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia in recent weeks.
Journalist Ben Jacobs has now revealed to Give Me Sport that the player is not keen on leaving Manchester United in January and the move to Saudi Arabia does not appeal to him just yet.
Apparently, Saudi Arabian clubs are looking at established Premier League players like Kevin De Bruyne, Mohamed Salah and Son Heung-min.
Jacobs said: “With Saudi Arabia, we’re not going to see the same window in January as we did over the summer. A lot of the big names that the Saudi clubs will be looking for will be in the summer of 2024 rather than January, partly because the deal-makers want to wait and see how the league table pans out and partly because many of the quotas are full or close to full.
“That means that, as you navigate the next few windows, you might have to think about exits first. That’s why, for example, Jesse Lingard was not possible for one of the slightly smaller clubs in Al-Ettifaq. He trained with them for a month, but they couldn’t sign him as a free agent because they had to get rid of two players first in January. Lingard didn’t want to wait and was asking for more money than a slightly smaller club like Al-Ettifaq could afford.
“Casemiro has been a name – like many others such as Kevin De Bruyne, Mohamed Salah and Son Heung-min – on a list of possible targets for 2024. But the indication at this point is that he wouldn’t like to jump ship from Manchester United mid-season. The Saudi clubs, I think, will be looking for that type of profile in the summer rather than January.”
Casemiro has had an underwhelming campaign with Manchester United so far and the Brazilian international will look to get back to his best. He was one of the best defensive midfielders in the world during his time at Real Madrid and he will want to prove himself in the Premier League as well.
Manchester United have been quite vulnerable defensively and they could certainly benefit from Casemiro returning to his peak form. The Red Devils will want to compete for trophies this season and qualify for the UEFA Champions League. They will need their best players firing on all cylinders and it remains to be seen whether Casemiro can get back in his rhythm once again.
Meanwhile, Manchester United will also need to hold onto their key players in January if they want to finish the season strongly. Keeping Casemiro at the club should be a priority for them. They are already lacking in depth when it comes to the defensive midfield department and they cannot afford to lose the only specialist defensive midfielder at the club any time soon.
The player will remain at the current club.