Updated: 12 Aug 2026 16:02 BST |
4 min read
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Barcelona have taken a drastic measure to make sure that they sell Manchester United target Marc Casado this summer.
The Blaugrana have had a very busy transfer window so far. Sporting director Deco has ruthlessly trimmed down the club’s wage bill after years of concerns over LaLiga’s spending rules, but he has also invested heavily in incomings.
Anthony Gordon, Karim Adeyemi and Jesse Bisiwu have joined for more than €100 million this summer, which has caused a fair bit of surprise considering the club’s well-documented financial issues in recent times.
However, Barcelona are confident that they can act normally in the market after returning to the famous 1:1 rule, which allows them to reinvest every penny they earn in revenue. In fact, their summer business is far from done.
They are closing in on a €60m+ deal for Man City midfielder Rodri, while they continue to try and engineer a deal for Atletico Madrid striker Julian Alvarez, even if it does appear to be an exercise in futility given the capital club’s unyielding not-for-sale stance.
Barcelona desperate to sell Casado
Despite the club insisting that they are in a healthy place financially, Barcelona do need to make sales. Only freeing up wages isn’t enough. One of the main candidates to depart is midfielder Marc Casado.
The 22-year-old has been flirting with a potential Barcelona exit for a year. Despite strong Premier League interest, he ultimately decided to stay put last summer, but that was a mistake in hindsight.
Casado struggled for minutes last season, which prompted January interest. Atletico Madrid and Man Utd reportedly enquired about him, but once again, a move did not materialise.
Both clubs have again shown an interest this summer, and Barcelona have grown increasingly desperate to offload the Spaniard in their need for cash. In fact, such is their desperation now that they have removed him from team training.
According to AS, Deco and head coach Hansi Flick have decided to put Casado in a small group with other players who appear to be on the way out, such as Tommy Marques and the seemingly Ajax-bound Jofre Torrents.
That’s because Barcelona want to make sure that Casado remains healthy enough to complete a transfer after what happened to young attacker Roony Bardghji. The Sweden international was on the verge of leaving, but an ACL injury (already the second in his career) has sidelined him for several months.
Barcelona have “panicked” and are keen to avoid an injury to Casado at all costs, as he is among the most valuable players they are willing to sell, alongside the PSG-bound Ferran Torres.
The Blaugrana have already rebuffed a €10m offer from an unnamed club because that was nowhere near their valuation of Casado. There have been talks with Al-Hilal over a possible deal, but they have so far come to nothing.
It is not yet entirely clear where Casado will end up this summer. Despite Man Utd’s long-standing interest, there haven’t been any strong links in recent weeks.
What is evident, though, is that Barcelona are doing everything in their power to make sure that the midfielder is sold before the deadline.
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