Man Utd suffer NIGHTMARE Casemiro blow

Cameron Smith

• 9 Aug 2024 07:00 BST
• 3 min read

Manchester United’s hopes of selling Casemiro to the Saudi Pro League have been severely dented following reports that Saudi Arabia’s interest in the Brazilian has cooled.

Casemiro, 32, joined the Red Devils from Real Madrid for a whopping €70.7 million in 2022, and although he enjoyed a fantastic debut campaign at Old Trafford, he was below par last season.

Kobbie Mainoo shone next to his far more experienced partner in midfield and Man Utd have been linked with a variety of new central midfielders as they look to sell both Casemiro and Scott McTominay.

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Fulham and Galatasaray remain keen on McTominay, but Man Utd may find it difficult to offload Casemiro as Saudi Pro League clubs have cooled their interest, according to Sky Sports’ Dharmesh Sheth.

The ex-Real Madrid midfielder has made 83 appearances in all competitions since moving to Old Trafford, scoring 12 times.

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Man Utd’s top midfield target is Paris Saint-Germain’s Manuel Ugarte, but they have pulled out of the race to sign the Uruguay international due to his €60m price tag.

As exclusively revealed by The Transfers Podcast, in conjunction with FootballTransfers, Burnley midfielder Sander Berge is under consideration and Man Utd have reportedly opened talks to sign the Norwegian.

AS Monaco’s Youssouf Fofana, Palmeiras’ Richard Rios and Fiorentina’s Sofyan Amrabat are also options available to Erik ten Hag’s side.

However, the Red Devils are unlikely to sign Real Sociedad star Martin Zubimendi, despite reported interest in the Spain international.

Liverpool are expected to sign the 25-year-old this summer as they look to bolster Arne Slot’s midfield. A deal hasn’t been agreed just yet, but The Athletic have reported that a move is likely, with Liverpool set to activate his €60m release clause.

Zubimendi’s Real Sociedad team-mate Mikel Merino is also expected to leave the club, with a move to Arsenal in a fairly advanced stage.