Manchester United midfielder Casemiro has reportedly agreed to leave the club in the January transfer window.
The 32-year-old was expected to be sold at the end of the 2023-24 campaign, but as no suitable offers were tabled, he remained at Old Trafford for the 2024-25 campaign.
Casemiro has featured regularly for the Red Devils again this term, netting three goals in 22 appearances, starting 10 Premier League games and three in the Europa League.
However, the consensus is that the former Real Madrid man has experienced a sharp physical decline, and he was lambasted for his display in Monday's 2-0 home defeat to Newcastle United.
Ruben Amorim paired Casemiro up with Christian Eriksen in the engine room, reprising their successful partnership from the 2022-23 season, but that move that did not pay dividends as the two veterans were overrun.
Casemiro gives green light to Man United exit?
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Casemiro was substituted in the 65th minute of that loss to Eddie Howe's side, and there is unlikely to be a future for him at Old Trafford, where Kobbie Mainoo and Manuel Ugarte are seen as the future of the Man United midfield.
According to UoL, Casemiro has given the thumbs-up to an exit from the Theatre of Dreams midway through the season, and the Saudi Pro League are 'determined' to bring him to the Middle East.
The process to sign the Brazil international has apparently been 'sped up' by Casemiro's relative inactivity in December, as he was an unused substitute in five of the Red Devils' nine matches this month.
The report adds that there are 'no major obstacles' to an exit midway through the season, as his contract only runs for another 18 months, and he is being courted by all of Al-Ahli, Al-Ittihad, Al-Hilal, Al-Nassr, Al Ettifaq and Al Quadisiya.
The Saudi Public Investment Fund is supposedly yet to decide on which of the six destinations is best suited to Casemiro, who has totalled 15 goals and nine assists in 105 matches for Man United across all tournaments.
Could any other Man United players leave in January?
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While Casemiro is not due to become a free agent until the summer of 2026, Eriksen is about to enter the last six months of his deal with Man United, meaning that he could depart for nothing at the end of the season.
The Red Devils would therefore have to accept a nominal fee for the Dane in January, and a separate report claims that offers for Eriksen will be listened to over the coming weeks.
The same goes for out-of-favour defender Victor Lindelof, also due to leave for free in 2025, and Marcus Rashford's future remains the hot-button topic of the Man United transfer world.
The Englishman was back on the bench on Monday night following his brief exile, which followed his admission that he wants to seek out a new challenge, but he did not play a single minute.
However, following Amorim's admission that Man United have no money to spend in the January transfer window, the Red Devils surely cannot allow themselves to enter February in a weaker position than they already are.
Ben Knapton
