Manchester United have been handed the chance to reignite their interest in Marc Casado, who has been told he can leave Barcelona this summer, it has been claimed.
United's midfield pursuit
In June, it was reported that United were monitoring Casado as Michael Carrick looked to bolster his midfield options. The 22-year-old made 34 appearances across all competitions last season and was most used in the No.6 role by Hansi Flick.
However, United instead went and signed Andrey Santos in a £48million transfer from Chelsea and Youri Tielemans for £35m from Aston Villa. It's thought the Reds are now focusing on different areas, including at left-back, as priorities for the remainder of the summer window.
Casado's Barcelona exit
Should United wish to recruit a third midfielder before the window closes, Casado would represent a viable option given his expected departure from Barcelona. According to SPORT, Barca's sporting hierarchy are keen to shift players deemed surplus to requirements as they free up wage space for fresh acquisitions. It's added that Casado has been placed on the market with Saudi Arabian pair Al-Hilal and Al-Ahli showing interest.
While Casado is willing to depart, he is determined to select his next destination and a switch to Saudi Arabia holds little appeal for him. He would rather stay in Europe and compete at the elite level.
Pre-season demotion
Additionally, Casado has been left disheartened after Flick informed him he would no longer feature in pre-season fixtures and would instead train with the group considered expendable to prevent injury risks. Casado featured for 62 minutes in Barca's 2-2 stalemate with Birmingham City in July but has been absent since, missing the subsequent pre-season matches against Nottingham Forest, Udinese and Basel.
His representative Jorge Mendes has been busy in the market attempting to secure him a move, and there's been some chatter that AC Milan, now under the stewardship of former United boss Ruben Amorim, are considering a transfer. However, Barca are holding out for at least £25.6million which could deter potential buyers.
United's left-back priority
While United could rejoin the chase for Casado, he is not currently on their radar and they have distanced themselves from making an approach, with the Reds reportedly setting their sights on a new left-back instead.
Newcastle United's Lewis Hall is the Reds' top choice for that role and he is reportedly eager for a switch to Manchester. However, the Magpies have taken steps to quash rumours of Hall moving to United and are keen to retain one of their key assets, having already seen Anthony Gordon, Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali depart this summer.
Hall's desire to leave Newcastle remains unchanged despite the appointment of new head coach Matthias Jaissle, who took over from Eddie Howe following his surprise exit last month.
