Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag quickly figured out that the midfield needed reinforcements when he was appointed as the boss and the club paid a whopping £70 million to sign Casemiro.
The Brazilian was a revelation in his first season as the club ended its six-year trophy drought by clinching the Carabao Cup while also qualifying for the Champions League via a third-place league finish.
His sophomore season in England, however, has turned out to be a nightmare partly due to injuries and also because of the manager’s decision to change the team’s style of play.
In the first season, Ten Hag opted to play a more possession-based approach as the team defended in a mid-block which suited the Brazilian, who constantly won back the ball and initiated quick counters.
Casemiro’s struggles
This season, Ten Hag asked his players to play a high-transition game which meant the five-time Champions League winner was given way too much space to mark and due to his advancing years, he failed to shield the back four adequately.
Opposition teams have found it easy to play through the haphazard United press and the Brazil international has struggled to track runners, often seen sliding into challenges in the middle of the pitch to avoid doing his duty.
The former Real Madrid superstar has missed 17 games due to injury this season with United’s medical staff letting the club down and this has hampered his pace with Casemiro looking extremely slow and sluggish.
New co-owners INEOS were not impressed that the club greenlit such a short-term fix for such a huge amount and they are open to moving on the 32-year-old in the summer.
Serie A clubs and Saudi Arabian sides are chasing the defensive midfielder with a move to the Middle-East the more likely option considering the fact that United want to recoup a large portion of the transfer fee they paid Real Madrid two years ago while the player’s weekly wages stands at £450,000 per week including bonuses (as per capology).
Now Turkish publication Aksam have revealed that Galatasaray and Fenerbahce are both interested in the Brazil international and a transfer war could ensue in the summer.
“Work for the next season continues for Galatasaray, which is advancing to the Super League championship. The yellow-reds are after star player Casemiro, who is also on Fenerbahçe’s agenda.
Turkish tug-of-war for Casemiro
“After the new contract with Buruk, the Yellow-Red management will immediately make attempts for the transfer of Casemiro. Galatasaray’s first plan is to convince the Brazilian star.”
Whether they can afford to play Casemiro’s huge wages is uncertain but the prospect of staying in Europe and playing in the Champions League while having the option to add more silverware to his collection could prove too irresistible an offer to refute for the former Sao Paulo man.
Lots of South American stars like Mauro Icardi and former United star Fred have tasted success since moving to Turkey in the latter stages of their career. Casemiro could follow suit.
This will suit United just fine as more the clubs in the race for the midfield maestro, the higher the chances of recouping a large fee through a potential bidding war.
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