Man Utd ready mega bid to sign £87m Casemiro upgrade

For the final time, Casemiro will walk out at Old Trafford as a Manchester United player on Sunday afternoon, a day that will mark the end of one journey and the beginning of another.

By all accounts, the appointment of Michael Carrick on a permanent basis is now imminent, the Englishman ready to look ahead to a different challenge, having expertly carried out his brief as interim.

The chapter is just beginning for Carrick in the United dugout, while for Casemiro, a wild ride will hopefully get a fitting farewell, the £70m Brazilian deserving of a fine send-off after four memorable years in Manchester.

It’s not always been perfect, but as last week’s draw at Sunderland showed in his absence, the 34-year-old will take some replacing this summer.

Man Utd ready to make big-money bid to sign Casemiro replacement

Casemiro’s dream replacement could actually be on the field on Sunday, with the Red Devils ready to take on Nottingham Forest and Elliot Anderson in the penultimate Premier League game of the campaign.

Seemingly tipped to join Manchester City, more recent reports have claimed that Anderson could actually favour a move to Old Trafford instead, with there likely to be a few words in the ear from United players this weekend.

The 23-year-old is the top target, by all accounts, although he isn’t the only one, with reports in Italy providing the latest on his former Newcastle United teammate, Sandro Tonali.

As per reports in Italy, INEOS are ready to make a ‘very high offer’ for the Italy international, with Newcastle said to have put him on the market heading into this summer.

No exact figure is suggested when it comes to that potential bid, although the report does suggest that the Magpies are looking for a fee of at least €100m (£87m).

Tonali, formerly of AC Milan, made the move to St James’ Park on a £55m deal back in 2023.

Why Tonali could actually be an upgrade on Casemiro

It’s a week that’s even seen Jamie Carragher forced to eat humble pie, following his prior criticism of Casemiro, with the South American defying expectation to emerge as a real driving force at United again.

Two years on from that night at Selhurst Park, the veteran midfielder will bow out on a high, having scored nine league goals so far this season, his best ever return across his storied career at the elite level.

He’s receiving plaudits, and rightly so, yet there is a nagging feeling that United’s midfield unit is still an issue, so often split open through the centre, be it in the first half against Brentford or the second half against Liverpool.

Casemiro, specifically, has been dribbled past 1.4 times per game, while actually making four errors leading to a shot. For context, the man vying to be the Premier League’s Player of the Year, Declan Rice, has been dribbled past just 0.4 times per game, making only one error leading to a goal.

Casemiro’s athleticism is an issue, even amid his fine goalscoring form, hence why Tonali could represent an upgrade, a player whom club legend Paul Scholes has even hailed as “better than Rice” earlier in the season.

Dribbled past only 0.7 times himself, Tonali is an old-fashioned, all-action, throwback of a midfielder, popping up here, there, and everywhere, such is his impressive pace and power.

It hasn’t been the season he nor Newcastle would’ve hoped for, although the 26-year-old still betters Casemiro with regard to ‘big chances’ created (six vs four) and pass accuracy rate (84% vs 81%), highlighting his superior ability in possession.

Equally, even in a difficult year, he has still only made one error leading to a shot, while only resorting to 0.7 fouls per game on average, half as many as Casemiro has been forced into this season.

He also betters the former Real Madrid hero for both total duels won (54% vs 53%) and ground duels won (55% vs 54%), with that extra athleticism also seen in the fact that Tonali has won 1.2 fouls per game himself on average – a difficult man to contain when he’s in full flow.

Selected by Scholes as the Premier League’s best midfielder at one stage, the £87m-rated powerhouse appears in need of a fresh start, with Newcastle enduring something of a collective decline under Eddie Howe.

Casemiro, as has been made clear, won’t be easy to replace, such is his influence, but if United are looking for a Rice-like, midfield machine, Tonali might well be the best solution.