19 Aug 2026 06:33 BST |
4 min read
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Manchester United have long been linked with a move for Barcelona midfielder Marc Casado, who is now facing a “critical market situation.”
The former Spain international has reached a potentially career-defining crossroads. Casado is expected to leave Barcelona after struggling for minutes last season, and at 22, he needs to get his next move right.
He reportedly turned down Chelsea and Wolves last year because he wanted to stay at Barcelona and fight for his place. Having lost his battle for minutes, he is now willing to leave the Catalan club.
In January and earlier this summer, Casado was linked with Atletico Madrid and Man Utd. Both clubs were said to have enquired about the midfielder, but reports of their interest have gone cold in recent weeks.
And for good reason, it seems. According to Sport, Man Utd have not been in contact with Casado’s camp recently, despite their search for a third midfield signing and the player’s relatively affordable price tag.
Casado facing “critical” situation
The Spanish outlet points out that Casado now finds himself in a “critical market situation” because there has been fairly little movement for him. Two Saudi clubs, Al-Ahli and Al-Hilal, were ready to pay as much as €40 million for him, but he has no interest in moving to Saudi Arabia.
There are still options for him in Europe, but they have yet to become truly concrete. This is a problem for Barcelona, who are desperate to sell Casado to raise funds and free up LaLiga salary cap space.
Reports in Spain recently suggested that the club had “panicked” and separated Casado and the other outcasts from Hansi Flick’s main group of players so as to make sure that they do not get injured like Roony Bardghji, who suffered an ACL injury just as he was about to complete a transfer.
Nottingham Forest and Benfica are now being linked with Casado, while superagent Jorge Mendes has offered him to AC Milan. However, the latter are not interested in the 22-year-old.
Benfica, though, could become a serious option before the window shuts. It is certainly “gaining traction” because they may miss out on the signing of Bayern midfielder Joao Palhinha to Newcastle. Casado would be a solid alternative.
Benfica are not necessarily in a rush to complete a deal as the Portuguese window remains open until mid-September, but Barcelona obviously would prefer to get Casado off the books as soon as possible.
They will hope that suitors come forward within the next few days as they still want to make signings. If that doesn’t materialise, Barcelona could be hamstrung in the market.
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