Manchester United have turned their attentions to a fresh midfield target, and have made an opening offer for his services as Erik ten Hag looks to bolster his engine room ahead of the new season.
Man Utd seeking Casemiro upgrade
After finishing eighth in the Premier League last season, Man Utd have already added two fresh faces to their squad. They have signed highly-rated defender Leny Yoro from Lille in a deal worth £52m to strengthen their backline, while Joshua Zirkzee has also been signed from Bologna in a £34m move.
Though both players are younger and more promising alternatives to those they replaced in Ten Hag's squad (Raphael Varane and Anthony Martial), it is unclear whether either player immediately strengthen the first XI as things stand.
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The Red Devils are far from done in the market though, and have now turned their attentions to a new right back and a defensive midfielder. They are in advanced talks to sign Bayern Munich defender Noussair Mazraoui to replace Aaron Wan-Bissaka, but their midfield targets have gone cold.
They are also chasing a deal to sign PSG midfielder Manuel Ugarte, but those links have since cooled. Nonetheless, a replacement for Casemiro is arguably needed, with the Brazilian linked with a move away having endured a horror end to the 2023-24 season, with one performance leading Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher to urge him to head to Saudi Arabia.
“I think Casemiro should know tonight that he should only have another three games left at the top level. The next two league games and the cup final, then he should be thinking, I need to go to the MLS or Saudi.
"This has to stop because we are watching one of the greats of the modern time. I always remember the saying 'leave the football before the football leaves you'. The football has left him. At this top level, he needs to call it a day at this level and move.
Now, an alternative target to Ugarte to replace the Brazilian may have been found.
Man Utd submit £50m+ offer for midfielder
That comes as reports in Spain claim that Manchester United have tabled a £50.8m (€60m) to sign Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi, who helped Spain to Euro 2024 glory at England's expense a fortnight ago.
The diminutive defensive midfielder has long been on the radar of Arsenal and Barcelona but has repeatedly stressed that he is happy with Sociedad.
Now though, that has reportedly changed. According to Catalan outlet El Nacional, United have "put €60m on the table" to sign Zubimendi, and said offer represents "considerable temptation both for the club and the player".
That fee matches the release clause in his Real Sociedad contract, which sees Zubimendi take home £48,000-a-week in Spain and is not due to expire for another three years. But they have been given food for thought with the Red Devils offer.
They add that the 25-year-old will take some time to consider his decision, but that should the offer be rejected by Sociedad the Red Devils will return with an improved one as they look to add the deep lying midfielder to their squad.
Zubimendi is a household name in Spain, and demonstrated his talents when replacing Rodri in the Euro 2024 final, though it had been evident well before that.
Martin Zubimendi vs Casemiro 2023-24 domestic season
Casemiro
Zubimendi
Appearances
25
31
Pass Accuracy
81.8%
85.7%
Progressive passes per 90
5.09
5.15
Tackles and interceptions per 90
4.59
2.92
Arsenal loanee Kieran Tierney, who spent the 2023-24 campaign with Sociedad, had no doubts about his ability.
"You have world-class players like Martin Zubimendi, Mikel Merino, Brais Mendez. It's not that people don't think they're good, it's just that if you're only watching the Premier League every week, it's hard to know. They're world-class", he explained in February.
Now, even Premier League fans may come to appreciate his ability should he become a Manchester United player before the new season kicks off.