Manchester United has reached an agreement in principle to buy Real Madrid midfielder Casemiro for around £60 million.
After Tyrell Malacia, Christian Eriksen, and Lisandro Martinez, the Brazil international will be the fourth player to join this window.
Casemiro
Casemiro had three years left on his contract with Real Madrid. He brings a lot of quality and experience to Erik ten Hag’s midfield after making over 300 appearances and winning a lot of trophies in nine years at Santiago Bernabeu.
In fact, the 30-year-old won five Champions Leagues with Los Blancos, scoring against Juventus in the 2017 final, as well as four La Liga titles and three Club World Cups.
Casemiro had trouble getting a regular spot after he moved from Sao Paulo to Madrid in 2013. He spent the 2014–15 season on loan at Portuguese powerhouse Porto.
But he didn’t look back after he became a regular starter in 2015–16. Since then, no midfielder in La Liga has won more tackles than him (415).
Dani Garcia (399) is the only midfielder to have more interceptions than the Brazilian (368), and only Dani Parejo (1,666) and Sergio Busquets (1,504) have won more possessions than him in his position than him (1,462).
Since taking over at Old Trafford, Ten Hag has been looking to add to his midfield. The arrival of Eriksen is the first piece of that puzzle.
But overall, it has been a frustrating time for United. They have spent most of the last few months trying to sign Barcelona star Frenkie de Jong, but they have run into a lot of problems.
Adrien Rabiot was supposed to be going to Juventus, but the deal fell through because the player wanted too much money.
We are delighted to have reached an agreement in principle for the transfer of @Casemiro 🇧🇷#MUFC
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) August 19, 2022
That’s how United ended up with Casemiro, but rumours about the move didn’t start spreading until Thursday.
“We talked this morning, and he wants to take on a new challenge or take advantage of a new chance. I get this, and so does the club, “On Friday, Ancelotti said.
“During my second time at Real Madrid, we always talked a lot. I just heard what he wanted, and I don’t think there’s any way back. What he wants is this.”
