Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho is keeping tabs on Real Madrid midfielder Casemiro for a possible summer move
Spanish publication Okdiario have reported that Jose Mourinho is eyeing a summer reunion with Casemiro, and an offer from Manchester United could soon be on the table for the Real Madrid midfielder when the summer transfer window opens in June.
Casemiro has grown from strength to strength at Real Madrid ever since his impressive one-year loan spell with Porto in the 2014/15 season. In just over 18 months since then, the Brazilian has allayed doubts over his suitability with the La Liga heavyweights in emphatic fashion.
Zinedine Zidane’s appointment midway through the first season saw Casemiro being thrust into the first team setup as a key figure in midfield. The holding midfielder has, since then, provided solidity with his no-nonsense approach while sitting in front of a back four that has often looked vulnerable in the last two seasons.
This season, his impact has often been felt from his absences with Real Madrid looking highly unconvincing when he was out with a knee injury early on in the campaign. However, since coming back he has been ever present at the centre of the park for Los Blancos, notching up 22 appearances.
His exploits with Real Madrid are starting to get noticed too, not least from the manager who brought Casemiro to the Santiago Bernabeu, Jose Mourinho. The Manchester United boss saw Casemiro join the Real Madrid B team in 2013, before handing him his debut in La Liga later that season.
The report states that Mourinho has been an admirer of Casemiro’s talents ever since then and has closely followed his development as one of the best holding midfielders in the world. As the 24-year-old continues to establish his importance for Real Madrid, Mourinho feels that he is a player that fits his system perfectly.
Indeed, Mourinho has relied on the services of a defensive midfielder who can hold fort in front of the back four to allow his midfield partner more freedom to influence that attack. With Michael Carrick slowly approaching the end of his glittering career, the Portuguese is on the lookout for top class midfielders.
The likes of Milan Badelj, Toni Kroos and Tiemoue Bakayoko have all been linked in recent weeks. But, Casemiro fits the bill perfectly for the Manchester United boss, and he is being eyed as a long-term partner for Paul Pogba in the Manchester United midfield.
However, Mourinho will face a tough challenge in order to secure the services of Casemiro, with Real Madrid not interested to let the Brazilian leave at any price. The midfielder is said to be “priceless” in the eyes of Zinedine Zidane and the player himself is happy at the Santiago Bernabeu.
His contract, which runs out in June 2021, also has a buyout clause of €200 million, but that might not be an issue for Manchester United who have splashed the cash on several players in recent seasons. The real challenge would be to test Real Madrid’s resolve when the transfer window reopens in June.
