Manchester United midfielder Casemiro is reportedly not actively looking for a move away from Old Trafford, despite growing interest from the Saudi Pro League.
According to football journalist Ben Jacobs (via Give Me Sport), Manchester United star Casemiro could be the subject of interest from Saudi Pro League clubs at the turn of the year, but the Brazilian defensive midfielder is not looking to “jump ship” from Old Trafford during the January transfer window.
Jacobs said to GMS: “With Saudi Arabia, we’re not going to see the same window in January as we did over the summer. A lot of the big names that the Saudi clubs will be looking for will be in the summer of 2024 rather than January, partly because the deal-makers want to wait and see how the league table pans out and partly because many of the quotas are full or close to full.
“That means that, as you navigate the next few windows, you might have to think about exits first. That’s why, for example, Jesse Lingard was not possible for one of the slightly smaller clubs in Al-Ettifaq. He trained with them for a month, but they couldn’t sign him as a free agent because they had to get rid of two players first in January. Lingard didn’t want to wait and was asking for more money than a slightly smaller club like Al-Ettifaq could afford.
“Casemiro has been a name – like many others such as Kevin De Bruyne, Mohamed Salah and Son Heung-min – on a list of possible targets for 2024. But the indication at this point is that he wouldn’t like to jump ship from Manchester United mid-season. The Saudi clubs, I think, will be looking for that type of profile in the summer rather than January.”
Casemiro was signed from Real Madrid during last year’s summer transfer window after Man United missed out on Barcelona and Netherlands midfielder Frenkie de Jong. The 32-year-old cost United an initial fee of £60 million, and this transfer could end up costing them £70 million with add-ons included.
He made a big impact during his debut season at Manchester United, but the veteran midfielder has failed to emulate that imperious form this term.
The Brazil international has looked a shadow of the player who quickly established himself as one of United’s most influential players last year in recent weeks and has been alarmingly off the pace during the early months of this campaign before sustaining a hamstring injury.
Recent reports have suggested that his time at United could well be short-lived, with the veteran understood to be very much on the radar of Saudi Arabia’s Pro League, who view the Brazilian as a big name they could land in the January window.
United are not actively looking to offload the Brazilian, but if a deal to get the money back they paid and move on his massive wages arrives on the table, it is believed they would be open to a deal.
As per journalist Jacobs, Casemiro could eventually leave the Red Devils, but at the end of the season rather than January, as a move during the winter window is tricky due to squad rules in the Middle East, while Man United will also have enough time to secure an apt replacement by then.
