Perfect Casemiro replacement available for £50m, he’s high on United’s wish list – report

Manchester United’s need for a midfielder is apparent, given that Casemiro has already announced he will be leaving once the current season concludes. Apart from the Brazilian, INEOS are also looking to move on Manuel Ugarte, who has been a major disappointment. The Red Devils need two world-class additions in the middle of the park to compensate for the losses, and they have their eyes on three Premier League stars. Carlos Baleba of Brighton and Hove Albion, Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton, and Nottingham Forest ace Elliot Anderson. Midfielder hunt The catch? The Forest midfielder looks to be favouring a move to Manchester City, while the Seagulls star continues to struggle. The 20-time English league champions might need to broaden their search, and there is good news on that front as per A Bola. Morten Hjulmand of Sporting CP, who has been a long-term target for the Old Trafford side, could finally be on the move next summer. The Portuguese side are resigned to losing their skipper and are already looking for an able replacement in the market. Long-term target on the move Sporting president Frederico Varandas has a verbal agreement with the Dane, who will be allowed to leave should a team bid €50 million for his signature. “Signed in the summer of 2023, 26-year-old Morten Hjulmand has proven himself from day one to be a winning bet, a key player showing potential for a higher level, and therefore it was immediately clear that Sporting would find it very difficult to keep him. “But they did manage to secure him for a second season with the club, although his departure in the summer is inevitable. “An agreement was reached for him to continue until the end of the 2025/2026 season, at which point Sporting guaranteed they would be open to negotiations. However, there was no promise of a sale or an exact price for the transfer. Only the openness to negotiations for figures in the order of €50 million.” Will United revisit their interest in Morten Hjulmand? Atletico Madrid were close to a January breakthrough, while former United head coach Ruben Amorim was keen on a reunion with the 26-year-old, a proposition INEOS had turned down. Whether the co-owners will revisit the transfer in the summer will be interesting to see. Tottenham Hotspur are also keen on the Denmark international. An interesting summer window awaits for United. Whoever comes in as the new head coach is likely to have the final say. Feature image Francesco Pecoraro via Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Ayantan Chowdhury After failing to become a professional footballer, Ayantan switched to the next best thing: writing about the greatest football club in the world. He has extensive sports journalism experience, having worked for over 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25