Manchester United have been handed a boost in their attempts to offload Casemiro after Galatasaray registered their interest in the midfielder.

 

United are keen to sell Casemiro, who earns around £350,000 per week and has suffered a dramatic dip in form since his solid debut campaign. The 32-year-old midfielder was hauled off at halftime in United’s 3-0 defeat by Liverpool at Old Trafford on Sunday and will likely be relegated to the substitutes’ bench following Manuel Ugarte’s £50 million arrival from Paris Saint-Germain.

The problem is that not many sides are willing to take off their hands an underperforming, highly paid player whose career appears to be on the slide. United’s former director of football, John Murtough, visited Saudi Arabia in December to try and drum up interest in the Brazil international but left without any success.

Casemiro, who joined in a £70 million move from Real Madrid in August 2022, which Sir Jim Ratcliffe openly criticized, still has two years left on his contract. United’s options appeared to have dwindled when the Premier League transfer window closed at 11 p.m. on August 30, yet a new avenue has now opened.

Turkish clubs have until September 14 to register new players, and The Times reports that Galatasaray have shortlisted Casemiro in their search for a midfielder. Galatasaray have already made a major statement by signing Victor Osimhen on loan from Napoli and could go for Casemiro as part of a similar approach.

Osimhen will be paid around £160,000 per week in Turkey, and Galatasaray will not be able to pay the kind of money Casemiro currently pulls in. They are also considering Juventus midfielders Weston McKennie and Adrien Rabiot, who is a free agent after leaving Juve earlier this summer.

Casemiro was replaced by academy graduate Toby Collyer, who was handed his Premier League debut against Liverpool. The substitution came after Casemiro was robbed of possession in the build-up to Luis Diaz’s two goals at Old Trafford and felt like a potential nail in the coffin for his United career.

Ugarte was not registered in time to play against Liverpool but will be in line to make his debut against Southampton after playing for Uruguay in the international break. "We have to build him in the team; it will take time," Ten Hag explained.

"It is not like I'm Harry Potter; that is what you have to acknowledge. If you see Manuel Ugarte, he didn't play so far in the season—not one match minute. We have to build his fitness; we will have to build him into the team, and then I am sure he will be an important player."