Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim wants to improve his midfield options next summer, but has stressed the importance of Casemiro to his current squad.
Manchester United have not ruled out the possibility of Brazil international Casemiro staying if he agrees to take a pay cut.
The 33-year-old has been at Old Trafford since 2022 and remains one of the club’s highest-paid players. His current contract expires at the end of this season, but United have an option to extend it for 12 months.
Casemiro was set to leave the Premier League next summer amid growing interest from Saudi Arabian clubs. However, ESPN is currently reporting that the possibility of him staying, although not at his current salary, has not been ruled out.
It also means United are reluctant to activate the option in his contract to maintain his wages, which are believed to be around £300,000 a week. His staying at United beyond 2026 will be seen as a major show of confidence in Ruben Amorim, who has emphasized his importance despite criticism from higher ups.
United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has been a vocal critic of Casemiro, suggesting he would not have signed him had he been at the club at the time.
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Speaking in March 2025, Ratcliffe said: “If you look at the players we’re buying this summer and the players we’re not buying, we’ve got Anthony, we’ve got Casemiro, we’ve got Onana, we’ve got Hojland, we’ve got Sancho.”
He added: “There are players who are not talented enough, and there are players who are probably overpaid, but it will take time for us to form a team that is fully responsible and accountable. We are in a period of change, moving from the past to the future.”
Before that interview took place, it had been suggested that Ratcliffe was strongly opposed to the contract and intended to terminate it prematurely.
However, despite being reluctantly hired at the start of his appointment, Casemiro has emerged as an integral part of Amorim’s United team. He has started five of United’s seven Premier League games so far, but missed one due to suspension after the Reds vs. Chelsea game.
Amorim has publicly praised the veteran on several occasions and revealed that he has changed his pressing structure to get the best out of him.
“We knew he couldn’t press high and jump all the time,” he explained last season. We need him to understand that sometimes it’s better to have three defenders and make him the fourth defender and put the wing-backs in a higher position to press.
“These are all things that we understand and try to address all the criticisms of the team. But the credit goes to Casemiro.”
He was so smitten with Casemiro that he reportedly targeted the midfielder in a private message to Ratcliffe after his late performance in the Europa League.
In a group that included several United powerbrokers, Mr. Amorim analyzed his thoughts in a mini-report, and additional data was also entered into the chat.
Casemiro found the back of the net in both legs of the semi-final against Athletic Bilbao and Amorim let the Old Trafford managers know exactly how important he is to their set-up.
If he remains in Manchester, Amorim is ready to hit the market for a new midfielder. Carlos Baleva was heavily linked during the summer and this deal could be revisited in 2026.
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