Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed that Brazilian midfielder Casemiro has asked to leave the club, and is now expected to join Manchester United.
The rumours of United moving for Casemiro came as a surprise, after the Premier League giants spent so long chasing after Frenkie de Jong during this summer window.
Ancelotti said at his press conference on Friday ahead of Real Madrid’s match against Celta Vigo: “Casemiro asked to leave, we have to respect his decision. We are not sad, the love for him is big. We are respectful.
“We didn’t try to convince him to stay. I listened to his desire. I respect him.”
Casemiro has spent nine years at Real Madrid, helping them to five Champions League and three La Liga titles.
He signed a contract last year to stay at Real Madrid until 2025, but is set to join United on a multi-year contract.
With Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, plus younger talents such as Eduardo Camavinga, Aurelien Tchouameni and Federico Valverde at the club, there is no guarantee Casemiro would have got the game time he desires this season.
The 30-year-old will not feature against Liverpool on Monday, even if a deal is completed soon.
Should the move happen, it will be a major boost for United as they have had problems in midfield who were shown up in their 2-1 defeat to Brighton and their 4-0 loss to Brentford.