Manchester United have been offered the chance to revive their interest in signing Marc Casado, after Barcelona made him available for transfer. The 22-year-old midfielder has been placed on the transfer list and excluded from pre-season matches as the Catalan club look to offload surplus players and create salary space for new signings.
United's summer midfield business
In June, it emerged that United were keen on bringing Casado to Old Trafford as Michael Carrick looked to strengthen his midfield. Casado made 34 appearances across all competitions for Barcelona last season and was most often used in the No.6 role by Hansi Flick.
But United instead moved for Andrey Santos in a £48million deal from Chelsea and Youri Tielemans for £35m from Aston Villa, with the Reds now believed to be looking at other areas as potential priorities for the rest of the summer transfer window.
Casado's situation at Barcelona
If United did want to add a third midfielder before the end of the window, Casado would be an option given that he is expected to leave Barcelona. According to SPORT, Barca's sporting management are pushing to offload the players surplus to requirements as they create salary space for new signings. It's added that Casado has been placed on the transfer list with Saudi Arabian duo Al-Hilal and Al-Ahli interested.
While Casado is open to leaving, he is keen to choose his destination and a move to Saudi doesn't appeal to him. He would prefer to remain in Europe and compete at the highest level. As well as this, Casado has been left upset after Flick told him he wasn't going to play anymore in pre-season matches and instead train with the group deemed surplus to requirements to avoid the risk of injury.
Potential suitors and price tag
Casado started and played 62 minutes in Barca's 2-2 draw at Birmingham City in July but hasn't featured since, missing the subsequent pre-season fixtures against Nottingham Forest, Udinese and Basel. His agent Jorge Mendes has been active in the market trying to seal him a deal, and there has been some speculation that AC Milan, now managed by ex-United boss Ruben Amorim, are interested in a move. But Barca want a minimum of £25.6million which could put off potential suitors.
While United could re-enter the race for Casado, he is not a current target and they have distanced themselves from making a move, with the Reds believed to be targeting a new left-back instead. Newcastle United's Lewis Hall is the Reds' first-choice target for that position and he is said to be keen on a move to Manchester. But the Magpies have taken measures to dampen talk of Hall moving to United and are desperate to keep hold of one of their prized assets, having already lost Anthony Gordon, Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali this summer. Hall's wish to quit Newcastle has not changed amid the arrival of new head coach Matthias Jaissle, who replaced Eddie Howe following his shock departure last month.
