- 10 hours ago
Casemiro sparks ‘emergency meeting’ as Man Utd career may not be over
Manchester United may not be in a position to say goodbye to Casemiro, with a clause in the Brazil star’s contract potentially putting his expected exit from Old Trafford this summer under threat.
Casemiro, who has an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €22.6 million, had been expected to leave Man Utd after a disappointing 2023/24 campaign, in which he was hampered by injury and also troubled by being played out of position by Erik ten Hag in an injury-hit side.
A transfer to the Saudi Pro League looked likeliest for the 32-year-old, yet The Sun has reported of a clause in his contract, which runs until June 2026, that means the player is due a staggering €29.5 million (£25m) payoff from United should he depart.
READ MORE: Ugarte v Onana: Who should be Man Utd’s Casemiro replacement?
Saudi deal in doubt
Although there has been interest from Al-Nassr, where Casemiro would hook up with Cristiano Ronaldo, there has been no bid forthcoming for a player that Man Utd want to sell for €35m.
As such, the player’s representatives have pencilled in an emergency meeting with Red Devils boss Erik ten Hag for the coming days, in which the player’s role in the squad will be discussed.
Even if Casemiro is not expected to have a significant role next season, “the player won’t settle for a cut-price pay-off to go”.
This spells disastrous news for Man Utd, who have been behind their rivals all summer in the transfer market after a lengthy season review, which spanned more than two weeks and plunged the club into uncertainty as the future of Ten Hag was discussed.
Furthermore, there is a lack of financial resources at Old Trafford, which means that they will struggle to complete deals until sales are made. Although there is a transfer budget available, if they were to pay Casemiro nearly €30m simply to leave, that would eat significantly into the funds available for spending.