For the second summer in succession, West Ham United appear destined to feature heavily alongside the name of Barcelona midfielder Marc Casado in the gossip columns.
Last August, it was reported that Barcelona rejected an approach from the Hammers for the La Masia graduate. Likened to the legendary Sergio Busquets, hailed by both Xavi and Spain boss Luis de la Fuente, Hansi Flick spoke in glowing terms about Marc Casado during the German’s impressive first season in the dugout.
Still only 22, Casado has found opportunities much harder to come by in more recent times, though.
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Premier League table after 32 gameweeks with West Ham's Crysencio Summerville in background
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As such, Tuttomercatoweb report that West Ham United are still watching developments closely, alongside the likes of Tottenham Hotspur and Atletico Madrid. The noises coming out Spain, however, suggest that Casado will be plying his trade in neither La Liga nor the Premier League in 2027.
Marc Casado set for Saudi Arabia amid West Ham United interest
According to Diario Sport, Casado won’t even be patrolling the midfield on European soil.
‘His most likely destination at the moment is Saudi Arabia’, Sport write. Middle Eastern clubs are reportedly ready to part with around £17 million.
Marc Casado during Real Madrid v FC Barcelona - LaLiga EA Sports
Photo by Maria Gracia Jimenez/Soccrates/Getty Images
Typically, as is often the case when it comes to Saudi interest, there is no mention of the identity of those interested clubs. Just that the money on offer in the desert is likely very tempting, especially to a Barcelona side always under pressure to raise funds via the sale of fringe players.
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Casado has started only nine of 31 La Liga matches for a Blaugrana side who moved nine points clear of Real Madrid this weekend. The twice-capped Spain international has slipped behind Marc Bernal and the versatile Eric Garcia in Flick’s pecking order.
“Casado is a fantastic professional,” Flick said in the winter. “[But] when you play for Barca and you’re a young player, patience is very important because you’re playing with the best players in the world at the best club.
“It’s a process. In football, everything can change in an instant.”
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West Ham United's Tomas Soucek during the Premier League match between Fulham and West Ham
Photo by Rob Newell – CameraSport via Getty Images
Casado’s intelligence in possession – honed in football’s most fabled academy – would provide West Ham with a midfielder capable of dictating the play from deep. Only Burnley average lower possession figures than Nuno Espirito Santo’s Hammers, with just 42 per cent.
But with Casado reportedly in favour of a move to the Middle East, it appears that West Ham’s pursuit of the crafty Catalan will suffer the same fate as it did in the summer of 2025.
Norwegian giant Jens Hjerto-Dahl has been linked, too. But at 6ft 4ins, the imposing Hjerto-Dahl is a very different sort of midfield profile. The same can be said of Torino’s Cesare Casadei.
The Italian is potentially a long-term Tomas Soucek successor, considering his physical qualities, his aerial talents, and his penchant for popping up in the penalty area to get on the end of crosses.
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