Should Man Utd sell Casemiro? | Football Digest
Manchester United are reportedly monitoring Monaco midfielder Youssouf Fofana as a potential cut-price Casemiro replacement, with the Brazilian failing to live up to expectations this season. The 31-year-old enjoyed a stellar debut season at Old Trafford but has been among those to disappoint in his second year under Erik ten Hag.
RMC Sport have claimed that United are one of the clubs taking a close look at Fofana’s situation at Monaco. The Red Devils, alongside Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain, are thought to be interested in the 24-year-old. The Serie A side are said to have contacted him on several occasions in recent months.
As he enters the last 18 months of his contract with Monaco, the French club will have a decision to make over whether January or the summer may be the right time to sell Fofana if he does not wish to commit his future to the club.
With his current contract winding down, Monaco will have very little leverage in negotiations and United could sign Fofana for a bargain fee compared to some of their other midfield targets.
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Fofana had the opportunity to move to the Premier League in the summer with Fulham and Nottingham Forest interested in his services, but he opted to stay at Monaco. “If you’re choosing between Monaco, Fulham and Nottingham, naturally I stay at Monaco,” he said after the window closed.
Ten Hag has been looking to overhaul his midfield since arriving at the club but has struggled to find the right balance. Captain Bruno Fernandes has often played as the most advanced of the three, but Casemiro’s form has dropped off this season and the Dutch boss has been forced to consider alternatives.
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Fred departed and summer signings Mason Mount and Sofyan Amrabat have so far failed to live up to expectations. A pivot of Scott McTominay and Christian Eriksen has started each of United’s last three games, but the feeling is that further investment is needed in that area.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s deal to purchase a 25 per cent stake in United for approximately £1.3billion could be announced as soon as next week and he will oversee the sporting side of the club, with one of his first tasks set to be improving the squad in the January transfer window.
He and his team will be well aware of Fofana’s talents in Ligue 1, having owned rival team Nice since 2019. Having already become a regular in Didier Deschamps’ France squads, Fofana could believe that his next step is to a big club in the Premier League to showcase his abilities, perhaps with United as a long-term Casemiro replacement.
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