Manchester United have the perfect Casemiro replacement, but it could cost them in excess of £100million. The Brazilian midfielder is set to leave Old Trafford after four years at the club when his contract expires at the end of the season.
But according to Casemiro himself, the ready-made replacement is staring them in the face, with the ex-Real Madrid star having touted Bruno Guimaraes as the perfect option. That’s according to claims from Ben Jacobs, who claims Casemiro recommended his countryman to United as the ideal successor.
But how much would it cost United if they were to go through with the deal? There was some talk that Guimaraes had a £100m release clause in his Newcastle contract, but contrasting reports claim that specific part of the midfielder’s deal has since expired.
Regardless, for a 28-year-old with two years left on their deal, it’s hard to imagine Newcastle would be able to hold out for much more anyway. As such, United could be looking at splashing out around £100m for the transfer fee alone.
That doesn’t include any potential wage hike that he’s likely to get following a move from Newcastle to Old Trafford. It’s currently reported that Guimaraes is banking around £160,000 per week with the 2025 Carabao Cup winners, but it would almost certainly go up, should he join the Red Devils.
Even a modest wage increase of £40,000, relative to Premier League footballers, taking his salary to £200,000 per week, would cost United £52m across a likely five-year contract. Overall, and it’s easy to see how a move for Guimaraes could start costing INEOS and United way over the £150m mark.
It makes the upcoming summer transfer window even more important, not least from a sales point of view. Reports this week have suggested United could be about to land a windfall of around £65m, should Rasmus Hojlund and Marcus Rashford pen permanent moves to Napoli and Barcelona, respectively.
Meanwhile, Michael Carrick’s side are in a strong position when it comes to Champions League qualification, with United sitting third in the Premier League table. United won’t return to action until they welcome fellow Champions League hopefuls Aston Villa to Old Trafford on Sunday, March 15.