Man Utd turned down £60m bid for ‘terrible’ Ten Hag signing but could make summer U-turn
Man Utd rejected a huge bid from a Saudi Arabian club for Red Devils midfielder Casemiro in the summer transfer window, according to reports.
The Red Devils splashed out £70m on the Brazil international in the summer of 2022 with the 31-year-old bringing an end an extremely successful nine-year spell at Real Madrid.
Casemiro won five Champions League trophies during his time at the Bernabeu with the Brazilian regarded as one of the best defensive midfielders in the world at the time.
However, Casemiro has been hit by injuries and inconsistent form this season and has been the subject of a lot of criticism, especially as the Red Devils paid so much for him.
He has only managed to start 12 Premier League matches this campaign and Spanish publication Relevo insist Man Utd had a chance to sell him and get most of their money back in the summer.
Relevo insist that Man Utd had an offer from a Saudi Pro League side ‘on the table for an amount very similar to the one they paid Real Madrid twelve months earlier: around €70m (£60m)’.
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It is understood that Casemiro is eyeing ‘retirement in Arabia’ and the country’s interest in the former Real Madrid midfielder ‘remains valid’ ahead of the next transfer window.
Amid Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s ‘reconstruction process’ there are ‘doubts about whether Casemiro will be part of the long-term project’ despite having two years plus a one-year option left on his contract.
But it’s claimed that Man Utd ‘don’t want him to leave at all’ and are hoping to ‘convince him to continue one or two more years in England’.
They do ‘understand that there is a possibility of losing him’ though and if a ‘good offer comes in and the player requests it, they will not oppose an exit’.
Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher is one pundit who has criticised Man Utd for their purchase of Casemiro, describing it as a “terrible buy” in November.
Carragher said on CBS Sports: “When you look at Man United buying Casemiro – I don’t care how well he did last season – that’s a terrible buy, from a business and club point of view. That’s just a panic.
“£70million on a guy who’s 30, 31 on a five-year deal, on massive money. I think he’s on the way down now… who’s going to sign him?”
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