Turkish side Galatasaray eye Manchester United midfielder Casemiro

Turkish giants Galatasaray have expressed an interest in signing Manchester United midfielder Casemiro on loan.

Casemiro, 32, was substituted at half-time in the Red Devils’ 3-0 defeat to arch-rivals Liverpool at Old Trafford on Sunday. The defensive midfielder made two glaring mistakes which led to Liverpool’s first two goals, both scored by Luis Díaz.

Following the Brazilian’s error-strewn display in the disastrous display against Arne Slot’s side, coupled with the deadline day acquisition of Uruguayan enforcer Manuel Ugarte from Paris Saint-Germain, the position Casemiro in Erik ten Hag’s first XI is well and truly under threat.

Having entered the final two years of his contract, Manchester United were open to offers for the experienced Brazil international in the recently-concluded summer transfer window. Despite concrete interest from Saudi Arabia, none of the clubs came forward with a proposal for the player and he eventually stayed at the club.

However, Galatasaray could end Casemiro’s torrid time at Man United. They are in the market for a central midfielder and have reportedly approached Man United over the possibility of securing a season-long loan deal for the 32-year-old before the Turkish transfer window slams shut. The Turkish side are looking to provide Casemiro a platform to revive his career after his royal struggles over the last 12-15 months in the Premier League.

As the Turkish market doesn’t slam shut until September 13, Galatasaray still have time to reach an agreement with the Red Devils for Casemiro.

Man United may opt against loaning out Casemiro

Manchester United have endured a difficult start to the new Premier League season, losing two out of three games already. They nicked a late winner via Joshua Zirkzee against Fulham on the opening night of the season but have tasted back-to-back defeats against Brighton and Liverpool, leaving Erik ten Hag under immense pressure.

Just a few weeks into the new season and injuries have already started piling up for Erik ten Hag’s side. They started the 2024/25 campaign without the services of Luke Shaw, Leny Yoro, Victor Lindelof, Rasmus Hojlund and Tyrell Malacia. And now Mason Mount has also been added to the injury list, with the English midfielder suffering a muscle injury in the 2-1 defeat to Brighton last month.

Keeping that in mind, it looks highly unlikely to see Man United sanction Casemiro’s exit, despite the Brazilian’s unbelievable dip in form and fitness since last season. Ten Hag has greenlighted the sales of Hannibal Mejbri and Scott McTominay earlier this summer, while Sofyan Amrabat’s loan spell from Fiorentina was not turned into a permanent deal.

And with Mount now set to spend weeks on the sidelines, the Dutch tactician and INEOS would not like to further damage the depth of the midfield unit by allowing Casemiro to join Galatasaray on loan. They have also supposedly blocked Christian Eriksen’s move to Ajax earlier this week, which tells the club are in no position to lose players after such a difficult start to the 2024/25 season.