Man Utd are closing in on the big-money signing of Real Madrid midfielder Casemiro, the PA news agency understands.
Erik ten Hag’s side have been looking to reinforce their midfield all summer and a deal worth an initial 60million euros (£50.7m) is close for the Brazil international.
The fee for Casemiro could rise to 70m euros (£59.2m) if clauses are met, with a four-year deal plus the option of a further season on the table.
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Talk of a medical on Friday appears premature, which means he would not be registered in time for Monday’s clash with rivals Liverpool.
Man Utd sit bottom of the Premier League after their 2-1 home defeat to Brighton was compounded by last weekend’s 4-0 humbling at Brentford.
The Old Trafford giants have been working frantically to bolster Ten Hag’s squad, having so far only managed to bring in Tyrell Malacia, Christian Eriksen and Lisandro Martinez.
Casemiro – a former team-mate of Cristiano Ronaldo and Raphael Varane in Spain – is a five-time Champions League winner with Madrid, who he joined from Sao Paulo in his homeland in 2013.
More irons are in the fire as Man Utd look to kickstart their ailing campaign at a time of intense pressure on the Glazer family.
Protests are planned against the owners before and during Monday’s clash with Liverpool and Sir Jim Ratcliffe has publicly declared his interest in buying the club.
The deal for Casemiro will no doubt please Man Utd legend Rio Ferdinand, who raved about the Brazilian after Real Madrid knocked Liverpool out of the Champions League quarter-finals in 2021.
Ferdinand said: “Excellent footballer. He does all the graft, all the hard yards, all of the ugly stuff, but with a bit of quality as well.
“I’ve seen him live a good few times… today, even his passing was top draw. In tight situations, finding the spare man, but knowing where to be.
“The most tackles, most regains of the ball today on the pitch out of any player. A complete understanding of the defensive midfielder role in a football team.
“I really love the way he plays football. Disciplined, doesn’t go too far away from the area of danger in front of the back four.
“When he needs to come out of there, he picks his times and I think he’s a player that when you play in a team with a player like that, you absolutely adore having him in your team and you know when they’re not there.”
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