Casemiro tells Real Madrid he wants to join Man Utd, Erik ten Hag lines up Yannick Carrasco – Paper Round

Casemiro wants to join United

The Daily Mail reports that Casemiro has told Carlo Ancelotti that he wants to join Manchester United. The 30-year-old Brazilian midfielder could now leave Real Madrid for a fee of around £60 million, with Real willing to enter discussions. United will then pursue further signings at right-back, striker and goalkeeper.

Paper Round’s view: Casemiro would be a giant upgrade on every single midfielder that Manchester United have had since Paul Scholes retired, but as the Mail reports, United need to go further than that. A striker is needed to compete with or replace Cristiano Ronaldo, their options on the right side of defence are awful, and David de Gea obviously needs to be kept under pressure.

United target Carrasco

After being rejected in their interest for Matheus Cunha, United have apparently moved on to another forward currently playing for Atletico Madrid. The Telegraph reports that they are interested in the Belgian forward Yannick Carrasco, and the 28-year-old wide player could be available for as little as £25.5m, and is now on the club’s transfer shortlist.

Paper Round’s view: Carrasco has been a consistent performer for Atletico over the years, if never amounting to anything exceptional. However, if he has done his time under Diego Simeone then we can assume he is hardworking and able to follow orders. So far, Erik ten Hag’s utterings have suggested his players have not properly heeded his instructions or met his demands for effort.

Barcelona’s financial problems persist

Spanish newspaper Marca reports that Barcelona are not going to sign Bernardo Silva this summer. The Portuguese international was wanted by Xavi Hernandez and Pep Guardiola was willing to listen to offers. The 28-year-old was willing to move and was given a 100m euro price tag. However Barcelona were unable to afford the asking price after failing to sell Frenkie de Jong.

Paper Round’s view: After failing to sell De Jong, Barcelona have managed to unsettle one of their most valuable assets going into the new season. He could, of course, still contribute to the rest of the campaign fantastically well, but there is something obviously foolish about Barcelona trying to force out one of their players who is owed around £15m in deferred wages, to a club he does not especially want to join.

Southampton face battle for Ramos

Southampton are keen on Benfica striker Goncalo Ramos after the 21-year-old impressed with his current side. The south coast side needed a replacement for Armando Broja, who returned to Chelsea after his loan deal expired, and Ramos could be available for £25m. However, Southampton will face competition from Eddie Howe’s Newcastle United.

Paper Round’s view: Ramos has done well in his time at Benfica but is still young, and it is rare that a player that young can slot in straight away in the Premier League. Newcastle’s interest complicates things as they can afford to pay a much higher fee than Southampton. With a couple of weeks left in the transfer window, desperation could force the asking price much higher.