Casemiro has been one of the very few success stories at Manchester United under Ruben Amorim, with his future more secure than expected amid interest from Saudi Arabia.
The 33-year-old has been linked with a move to the Saudi Pro League over the past 18 months as Man Utd have been desperate to offload his monstrous £350,000-a-week wage.
However, his importance has grown under Amorim as he continues to outperform underperforming £51million signing Manuel Ugarte in the middle of the park.
Cristiano Ronaldo‘s Al Nassr have been mooted as a potential destination for the Brazilian international, while another former Real Madrid team-mate, Karim Benzema, is keen on a reunion at Al Ittihad.
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Al Ittihad could revisit the situation in January as Casemiro enters the final six months of his Man Utd contract, though the club have the option to extend his deal until 2026.
In a surprising turn of events, the Red Devils could decide to keep hold of the experienced midfielder for another year as his performances have significantly improved since Erik ten Hag was sacked last October.
According to CaughtOffside, Casemiro’s ‘situation has changed’ after ‘evolving’ into an important player under Amorim.
Indeed, the former Real Madrid star’s ‘future could lie at Manchester United despite strong interest from Al Ittihad’, with Benzema interested in a reunion.
The Saudi transfer window remains open until September 23, but an offer before then is not likely as they are ‘expected to try again in January’.
Al Ittihad can negotiate a pre-contract with Casemiro from January 1. A ‘well-connected source’ told CaughtOffside:
Casemiro’s role at Manchester United has evolved under new manager Ruben Amorim. Amorim has repositioned him as a deep-lying playmaker, giving him central responsibility in both defensive transitions and build-up play. This tactical shift has reinforced Casemiro’s importance within the team, especially after United failed to secure the signing of Brighton’s Carlos Baleba.
Man Utd are reluctant to let Casemiro leave without having a replacement lined up and the player ‘is not pushing to leave’.
One potential replacement is Baleba, who the report mentioned.
The club made enquiries over a deal for the Cameroonian midfielder over the summer transfer window, however, the Seagulls quoted a British record fee.
Reports recently have indicated that Man Utd have made him their next big target after spending around £200m to improve their attack over the summer months.
Baleba played 34 times in the Premier League last season and has started all three of Brighton’s top-flight fixtures in 2025/26, helping them beat Manchester City in their last match.
We say ‘helped’ as if he wasn’t substituted in the 60th minute with City 1-0 up. His replacement, James Milner, equalised with a penalty seven minutes after coming on and Brajan Gruda scored a wonderful winner in the 89th minute.
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