According to Italian outlet Gazzetta dello Sport, Manchester United have joined Roma in the race to sign Palmeiras midfielder Richard Rios in the current transfer window.
The Red Devils have primarily focused on bolstering the forward department during the summer. They have already purchased Matheus Cunha from Wolves while Bryan Mbeumo is poised to join from Brentford pretty soon.
A defensive midfielder could be targeted next, and reports claim that United are ready to battle it out with Roma to purchase Rios. Palmeiras have opened the door for his transfer for £26 million.
The Red Devils are eyeing a new option in the no.6 role, having grown frustrated with Casemiro’s performances.
Quality midfielder
Rios has been a key player for Palmeiras over the past few seasons. He looks set to pursue a bigger challenge in European football. Roma have opened talks with the Brazilian heavyweights, but are reluctant to pay more than £21 million including add-ons.
United could capitalise on the situation to bring him to Old Trafford this summer. The Colombian was hugely impressive for Palmeiras in the recent Club World Cup despite their limited possession. He won almost 7 duels per appearance.
The 25-year-old also registered 4 recoveries, 2 tackles and 2 interceptions per outing for Palmeiras. He had a good passing accuracy of 86% and showed his willingness to take risks with forward passes and quality long balls to initiate counter-attacks.
He has already developed into a quality all-round defensive midfielder and would be a good competitor in the United squad alongside Casemiro and Manuel Ugarte. Ugarte has yet to find consistency since his big-money move from Paris Saint-Germain.
Casemiro had a good end to the previous campaign in the Europa League, but he has struggled to cope with the higher intensity and high pressing in the Premier League. Despite this, he is prepared to honour the final year of his United contract.
With the club’s inability to offload Casemiro, a cost-effective successor could be preferred. Rios would be a fantastic purchase for the Red Devils, provided they can convince him to join the club without the guarantee of a starting role next season.