£40m 'bargain' and Belgian star - three possible replacements for Casemiro at Manchester United

Manchester United may have to sign a new defensive midfielder this summer amid the uncertainty surrounding Casemiro's future.

The midfielder signed a four-year contract in August 2022 and his first-season performances at Old Trafford impressed United fans. His leadership, organisation of the midfield and occasional goals saw him establish himself as a key player for the club.

The Brazilian has not replicated his form of last season this term. He has also missed parts of the season due to injury.

The former Real Madrid man has been heavily linked with teams in the Saudi Pro League who may be willing to splash the cash needed to prise him away from the Reds.

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United have identified central midfield as an area in need of attention this summer and Casemiro's departure would surely accelerate their search for a new midfielder. The question is, who could they sign to replace the former Real man?

Below, MEN Sport has taken a look at three possible replacements for Casemiro.

Joao Neves

The highly-rated 19-year-old has been linked with United in recent months and reportedly has a £103million release clause. The Benfica youngster already has four caps for the Portuguese national team and is a graduate of Benfica's academy.

In his time with the first team, Neves has played in defensive and central midfield. Neves is primarily deployed on the left side of a two-man midfield. He has gained a reputation as one of Portugal's fiercest tacklers

Neves signed a five-and-a-half-year contract in August and his reported £103million release clause would be financially challenging for United.