Al Nassr to submit €40m bid to sign Cristiano Ronaldo's former teammate - Reports
Al Nassr are reportedly planning to make a bid to reunite Cristiano Ronaldo and Casemiro. The Saudi Pro League side are said to be interested in bringing the Manchester United midfielder to the club this summer.
As per a report in Caught Offside, Al Nassr are ready to pay €40 million to sign Casemiro. They see the former Real Madrid star as the perfect big-name signing and have also started talks with his agents.
The midfielder will have two years left on his contract at Manchester United after the ongoing season. Moreover, manager Erik ten Hag sees the Brazilian as a crucial cog in his wheel, but the Dutchman's future is also unclear.
Since joining from Real Madrid in a €70 million move in 2022, Casemiro has made 80 appearances for the club across competitions, scoring 12 and assisting eight goals. However, his recent performances don't paint a rosy picture, leading to speculations of a possible Saudi move.
Cristiano Ronaldo has played 122 matches with Casemiro at Real Madrid and Manchester United.
Casemiro told to leave for MLS or join Cristiano Ronaldo in Saudi by Jamie Carragher
Jamie Carragher was livid with Casemiro's performance in Manchester United's recent 4-0 defeat to Crystal Palace. He claimed that the Brazilian's time in top leagues was over and he needed to move to MLS or Saudi Pro League to join Cristiano Ronaldo.
He said on Sky Sports:
“Casemiro should know tonight as an experienced player that he should only have another three games left at the top level – the next two [Premier] league games and the [FA] cup final – then he should be thinking I need to go to the MLS or Saudi. I’m deadly serious – his agent, the team of people around him, they need to tell him: this has to stop."
He added:
“We are watching one of the greats of the modern time, playing in the best midfields we have seen who have dominated Europe – him holding, [Toni] Kroos to one side, [Luka] Modric to the other was one of the best midfields. It could easily go up against the Barcelona midfield that we all loved of [Sergio] Busquets, Xavi, [Andres] Iniesta. So he’s been an absolute great."
Carragher continued:
“I am nowhere near on a level of what that man has achieved, [winning] Champions Leagues, playing for Brazil and Real Madrid. But I always remember something when I retired myself, and there was a saying I always remember as a footballer: ‘Leave the football, before the football leaves you.’ The football has left him – at this top level. He needs to call it a day at this level of football and move.”
Cristiano Ronaldo moved to the Saudi Pro League in December 2022, joining Al Nassr after his United contract was terminated by mutual consent. Several stars have since moved to the Middle East, including the likes of Neymar, Karim Benzema, N'Golo Kante among others.