Casemiro STOPS Man Utd signing Manuel Ugarte

The excellent performance of Casemiro in Manchester United’s opening day win has made them think twice about signing PSG’s Manuel Ugarte.

That is according to French journalist Julien Laurens, who reports that United are reluctant to meet PSG’s high demands for Ugarte given Casemiro’s bright start to the season.

Ugarte has been United’s primary objective for the defensive midfield role this summer.

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The idea has always been to sell Casemiro and then replace him with Ugarte.

However, United have struggled to find buyers for the Brazilian given his high amortised value and big salary.

Also, United have struggled to meet PSG’s demands for Ugarte and have had two bids already turned down by the Ligue 1 team.

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And Laurens says that Casemiro’s impressive performance in the 1-0 win over Fulham on Friday makes it less likely that they will raise their bid significantly for Ugarte.

What did Laurens say?

“United have had two offers rejected already, but they were quite a while ago,” Laurens said on ESPN FC.

“In the last three weeks, it’s been a bit more quieter, maybe because if you look at the game [on Friday], we had a good Casimero, much better than anything that we saw last season, for example.

“It’s not the Casimero that we saw at Madrid two or three years ago, but it’s much better than what we saw… Would you go and spend €65 million or €60m on Ugarte when Casimero is in this form? You need more bodies, that’s for sure, especially in that defensive midfield role.

“But spend all that money for somebody who might not be a starter in your team, that’s where I think that’s where Ugarte to United possibility is right now. I think they are pondering it because if [Kobbie] Mainoo and Casimiro can offer you a really good season, then the backup doesn’t have to be worth 65 million.”

Casemiro was arguably Man Utd’s signature move of the summer of 2022, as they splashed out over €70m for the legendary midfielder from Real Madrid.

The 32-year-old performed well for much of his first season and he played a key role in them winning the Carabao Cup.

However, his form fell off badly in the 2023-24 campaign for a Man Utd team that endured a disastrous Premier League and Champions League season.

United finished in eighth place, out of the European places and with a negative goal difference. They also were knocked out of the Champions League group stages, finishing bottom of a group containing Bayern Munich, Copenhagen and Galatasaray, and conceding more goals than any English team in a group campaign ever.

They did win the FA Cup, but Casemiro did not play in the final.

Physically, Casemiro looked like a player who is well past his best and who is no longer able to cope with the rigours of fast-paced football.

He also struggled with injury over the course of the past season.