SAUDI ARABIA
Al Nassr reportedly target Manchester United’s Casemiro
The Brazilian midfielder is said to be on the shopping list of Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr, home of former teammate, Cristiano Ronaldo.
Saudi Arabian side Al Nassr are said to be interested in signing Manchester United midfielder, Casemiro, as the English club begins a squad renovation ahead of the 2024-25 season.
The Brazilian midfielder arrived at the Premier League outfit in 2022 after spending almost 10 years at Real Madrid, where he won 3 LaLiga titles, 5 UEFA Champions Leagues and 3 FIFA Club World Cups, among many other trophies.
Casemiro, who earns £375,000-a-week and is the club’s top earner, has not played since November due to a hamstring issue; Al Nassr are said to be readying a huge bid for the player, who will turn 32-years-old in February.
Ronaldo could join up with Casemiro
Five-time Ballon d’Or winner, Cristiano Ronaldo, Casemiro’s former teammate at Real Madrid, is also said to be playing a part in the deal, convincing him that a move to the Kingdom would be a positive step, despite the news coming out in the past weeks that various players who made big-money moves from Europe to the Middle East over the summer are actually unhappy with their working and living conditions.
Jordan Henderson, who left Liverpool to play in Saudi Arabia for Al Ettifaq, returned to Europe recently to join Ajax. Reports say that the England midfielder, who lifted the Premier League with Liverpool in the 2019-20 season, was not paid a single penny of his contract due to tax laws.
Casemiro not the only Manchester United player linked with move away
Casemiro would be the latest in a long line of players in Europe who have made the move to Saudi, but he may not be the only one from Manchester United to make the move. The Daily Mail, the source for the original, exclusive story, also report that Aaron Wan-Bissaka is being eyed up by the league for a potential move abroad.
In June 2022, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), the sovereign wealth fund of the nation with assets of US$776 billion, took ownership control of four clubs in the Saudi Pro League—Al-Ittihad, Al-Nassr, Al-Hilal, and Al-Ahli, giving the sides an incredible wealth which has allowed them to sign players such as Karim Benzema and Neymar.
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