Arsenal and Chelsea have both enquired about the possible signing of Barcelona defensive midfielder Marc Casado, sources have told CaughtOffside.
Well-placed figures with ties to the agents industry have provided CaughtOffside with information on Casado’s future this summer, with Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United all interested in the 21-year-old.
Bayer Leverkusen also previously saw a bid rejected by Barcelona, who are keen to bag around €50m from the sale of Casado, though their preference is to keep the player.
It could be that Barca would let Casado go if the money was right, but for now things haven’t advanced, with Arsenal and Chelsea only making initial enquiries, while Man Utd haven’t yet established any kind of contact.
Marc Casado to seal transfer to the Premier League this summer?
Casado has a €100m release clause in his Barcelona contract, which puts his club in a strong negotiating position for him.
There is also a feeling, however, that the La Liga champions could find themselves under pressure to sell some players this summer due to their financial situation.
Chelsea have also been linked with Casado by a report from Sport, and their interest could make the most sense after the lack of impact made by Romeo Lavia during his time at Stamford Bridge.
Arsenal, by contrast, have already signed both Martin Zubimendi and Christian Norgaard to bolster their midfield options.
Man United considering Marc Casado as an upgrade on Manuel Ugarte
One source made the interesting point that Man United seem open to bringing in Casado as an upgrade on the unconvincing Manuel Ugarte.
Ugarte only joined the Red Devils last summer, but CaughtOffside have been told that “Ruben Amorim sees Casado as an alternative to Ugarte”.
It remains to be seen if that will translate into a more concrete approach, which has not happened yet.
Still, it could make sense for MUFC to strengthen in the defensive midfield department after Ugarte’s slow start, while they surely also need a long-term successor to Casemiro.
