Manchester United
Premier League • England
Man Utd flop in talks over Saudi Pro League transfer Ratcliffe would welcome, but major January obstacles emerge – exclusive
Manchester United are keen to reduce their wage bill and that could mean that multiple players leave, with Casemiro one of those deemed surplus to requirements.
Raphael Varane and Anthony Martial’s departures over the summer freed up space on the Red Devils’ wage bill but there is still work to be done in that regard.
Casemiro earns an eye-watering £350,000 per week at Man Utd, making him the club’s highest earner by some distance, and they are keen to sell him in January.
Sources have revealed to TEAMtalk that Man Utd’s board do not feel that Casemiro’s wage reflects his contribution on the pitch and will do all they can to get him off the books.
Casemiro currently finds himself down Erik ten Hag’s pecking order and has started three Premier League matches this season, with Manuel Ugarte, Christian Eriksen and Kobbie Mainoo preferred by the Dutchman.
Therefore, we can exclusively confirm that both Ten Hag and the Man Utd board are agreed that it would be best for Casemiro to leave Old Trafford in January.
Several Saudi clubs have already made contact with the 32-year-old midfielder’s agents, but there are a number of obstacles to a January transfer.
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Saudi clubs hold talks with Casemiro – sources
Sources have revealed to TEAMtalk that Casemiro’s agents have met with multiple clubs in recent weeks, namely Saudi sides Al-Nassr, Al Hilal, Al-Ahli, and Al Qadisiya.
After the latest round of meetings, Al-Nassr and Al Qadisiya have shown themselves to be most interested, but no concrete moves have been made at this stage.
The interest from the Saudi Pro League in Casemiro is certainly there, but he is not considered a top priority, with many steps still to take before the midfielder heads to the Gulf State.
Casemiro’s salary demands are high as he wants more than his already lucrative Man Utd wage, while the Red Devils are demanding around £25m for his sale in January.
Saudi clubs have been informed of Man Utd’s valuation and as yet, they are yet to make contact with the club over a transfer – only holding tentative talks with Casemiro’s representatives to date.
With that in mind, it’s likely that Man Utd will have to reduce their asking price if they want to offload Casemiro this winter.
We understand that the Red Devils are also open to listening to offers for Antony in January, who has failed to live up to his £86m transfer fee.
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The latest on Man Utd’s manager hunt
The main focus of the Man Utd board right now, however, is on their management situation and whether Ten Hag will be allowed to continue at the club.
As previously revealed, club co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has already made up his mind and wants to sack the Dutchman, but will only do so once a suitable replacement has been found.
Thomas Tuchel is the name at the top of Man Utd’s manager shortlist as things stand. He held talks with Man Utd over the summer but he snubbed the opportunity as he wanted to take a break from football after leaving Bayern Munich.
The German coach is now ready to return to management and Man Utd could hold talks with him again soon, but negotiations with him will not be straightforward.
Tuchel wants guarantees that he will be given money to spend on his top targets in January and next summer – something the Red Devils’ chiefs are reluctant to sign off on.
Massimiliano Allegri, Graham Potter, Gareth Southgate and Eddie Howe have also been discussed by the Red Devils hierarchy, while Ruud van Nistelrooy is expected to take temporary charge should Ten Hag get the sack.
IN FOCUS: Casemiro’s decline at Man Utd
Casemiro signed for Man Utd from Real Madrid in August 2022 for a deal worth £60m, plus an additional £10m in add-ons.
The Brazilian has a huge amount of experience having won 18 major trophies during his time at the Bernabeu. He is widely regarded as one of the best defensive midfielders of his generation but has found his transition to life in the Premier League difficult.
People seem to have forgotten that Casemiro began his Man Utd career well. Six months into his time at Old Trafford, the Red Devils had won 79.4% of the games Casemiro played, versus just 42.9% of the matches without him.
However, Casemiro has undoubtedly declined since. After a decent start to the 2023/24 campaign, he was sidelined for three months by two consecutive injuries.
He’s never looked the same since and after a few major blunders last season, Carragher memorably described him as ‘finished’ in top level football.
Casemiro was forced to play out-of-position as a centre-back towards the end of last term due to Man Utd’s injury woes and unsurprisingly, struggled.
He’s now playing a bit-part role for Man Utd and certainly isn’t worth the huge pay packet he receives based on recent performances.
Ratcliffe was keen to offload the midfielder this summer but his attempts to offload him were unsuccessful. It will be interesting to see if he does get his wish in January.
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