Manchester United have turned to yet another potential summer transfer target after reports have surfaced today via Spanish outlet Marca that the Red Devils have cast their eye on veteran Real Madrid holding midfielder Casemiro.
🚨 Manchester United are interested in signing Casemiro from Real Madrid, as they’re finding it difficult to sign Frenkie De Jong.
(Source: @marca)
— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) August 16, 2022
It would hardly come as a surprise to anyone that United have still struggled to get their foot in the door to bring Barcelona and Dutch international star Frenkie de Jong to the negotiating table with a view to reunite him with new manager Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford, and the England giants have persisted in trying to source transfer alternatives before the window closes.
Negotiations for Juventus midfielder Adrien Rabiot have already begun, while the club was previously linked with Lazio star Sergej Milinković-Savić a little over a week ago.
But the manner in which United was ruthlessly put to the sword by Thomas Frank’s Brentford at the weekend in a 4-0 loss away from home highlighted the need for the Red Devils to secure a holding midfielder as well as a more creative outlet in the middle of the park, with Casemiro now potentially coming into view to fill the void left by the summer departure of Nemanja Matić.
Questions could potentially be asked regarding Casemiro’s immediate future after he did not feature in Carlo Ancelotti’s matchday XI this weekend when Real Madrid earned a 2-1 away win at UD Almería, with young French pair Eduardo Camavinga and Aurélien Tchouaméni lining up alongside Toni Kroos as part of the midfield trio.
But Ancelotti still views Casemiro as a vital piece of the puzzle in the Spanish capital according to Marca’s report, but with Real investing heavily in Camavinga and Tchouaméni for the long-term, it could mean that the Real hierarchy may want to trend toward focusing on the French international duo in the immediate future, which could potentially make Casemiro available this window unexpectedly.
It is unclear of Madrid’s stance will soften on Casemiro over the next week or two, but should he still not work his way into the matchday XI before the window closes, anything is possible.
