Man Utd blocked from midfielder transfer as new Bruno Fernandes role identified

Manchester United are blocked from bringing in a new midfielder due to the remaining presence of high-earning Casemiro. Reliable sources say that four intermediaries have been tasked with finding a buyer for Casemiro, who is in the final year of his £300,000-a-week contract with United. The club would need a fee of £15million for Casemiro to avoid a loss under the Premier League's profitability and sustainability rules, but it seems unlikely that such an offer will be made.

Despite shining in United's Europa League knockout stages, the club were looking for buyers for the 33-year-old Brazilian during the winter transfer window, when he was on a month-long playing hiatus. United are keen to strengthen their central midfield, but with Casemiro being one of five existing options, they would need to generate substantial funds or offload a high earner to make room for reinforcements. Bruno Fernandes is expected to permanently move to central midfield, and United committed to spending £50million on Manuel Ugarte last August.

Kobbie Mainoo has been utilised as a playmaker by head coach Ruben Amorim, while Toby Collyer has only started three games in his professional career. Mainoo turned down United's initial contract offer at the start of the year, and Ugarte's poor form towards the end of last season saw him benched for the Europa League final in favour of Casemiro.

United parted ways with Christian Eriksen last month and have since focused on bolstering their attack, splashing out £133.5m on Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, while also keeping an eye out for a new centre-forward.

The club has been exploring options for goalkeepers, but Andre Onana's recent injury has thrown a spanner in the works. Despite this setback, United are not actively seeking to offload Onana.

Casemiro's move to United from Real Madrid in August 2022 for an initial £60m, potentially rising to £70m, was met with much fanfare. Although his impact diminished as the season progressed, he made a notable return to form in the Europa League round-of-16 match against Real Sociedad in March.

Amorim acknowledged after the second leg against Sociedad that "I'm improving the way I use a player like Casemiro". The Brazilian star found his way back into the national team last month following an 18-month absence.