Romano fuels hope of big-money Casemiro sale

Robin Bairner

• 9 Mar 2024 10:57 GMT
• 3 min read

Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Manchester United’s prospects of selling Casemiro in a big-money summer deal remain alive.

Having starred in his first season at Old Trafford, Casemiro has struggled to make a similar impression this time around.

Although the Brazil international is under contract until 2026, Man Utd are expected to cut their losses and sell the 32-year-old in the summer should a suitable bid come in as Sir Jim Ratcliffe targets a new-look team for next term.

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Big European clubs are unlikely to be willing to spend big on a player who appears to be past his best, yet football transfer specialist Romano says that interest from the Saudi Pro League remains.

“For Casemiro at the moment talks are not advanced, but the interest from Saudi is still there,” Romano confirmed on the Daily Briefing.

“They were interested in the midfielder last summer, and then again around October/November some calls were made to intermediaries to understand the situation.

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“It’s important to mention that there was never a concrete proposal put to Manchester United.

“Let's see what will happen with Casemiro in the next months, but interest from Saudi is still there so let's see if they will return with a proposal.”

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Who could go to the Saudi Pro League in the summer?

Although the Saudi Pro League is facing a fight to keep some of its star players, most notably Karim Benzema, and did not land any blockbuster January deals, several big-money moves are expected in the summer.

Casemiro is only one of the stars who is linked with potentially joining Cristiano Ronaldo in the big-spending division, with Romelu Lukaku, Son Heung-Min, Kevin De Bruyne, Mohamed Salah and even Victor Osimhen subject to interest.

With the size of the investment going into the league, players are being offered massive contracts to move while clubs are being offered outsized transfer fees to tempt them into sales. This is where Man Utd can benefit from Saudi’s interest in Casemiro.