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.
ALSO READ: Shock snub could fuel United star's anger and help Ten Hag
ALSO READ: Ten Hag has unexpectedly given United star a new position
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. Benfica have also been tough negotiators in recent years after demanding large fees for Darwin Nunez, Enzo Fernandez and Ruben Dias.
Amadou Onana
Onana joined Everton in the summer of 2022 for £33million and is under contract until 2027. Onana has made ten appearances for the Belgian national team and impressed with his performance against England on Tuesday night.
The 22-year-old is enjoying a fine season at Goodison Park and has put in a number of influential displays in the centre of Everton's midfield. Onana is a defensive midfielder but has featured further forward as well as in the No.10 role. The Belgian is a physical midfielder who has made on average 2.45 tackles per game and has made no errors leading to goals this season.
With Onana under contract at Goodison Park until 2027 and having been signed by Everton for £33million, there is no doubt that the Toffees would want a sizable fee for the midfielder. However, to comply with FFP Everton may be forced into selling some of their key players this summer.
Joao Gomes
Gomes is a Brazilian midfielder who progressed through the ranks at Flamengo before his move to Wolves. The Brazilian has made 24 appearances this season and has scored twice, establishing himself as a regular in Gary O'Neil's side.
Gomes is a tenacious ball-winning midfielder and often operates in a midfield partnership in a 3-4-3 or 4-2-3-1 formation. Such is his impressive tackling, only Fulham's Joao Palhinha and Sheffield United's Vinícius Souza have made more tackles in the league this season.
Gomes has averaged 3.5 tackles per 90 minutes played this season and has 5.5 ball recoveries per game. In comparison, Casemiro has 3.3 tackles per 90 minutes played and 4.9 recoveries per game. The stats suggest that Gomes is certainly more of a defensive player who offers balance and control, and could possibly prove a perfect midfield partner for Kobbie Mainoo. He would also likely be the cheapest option of the three players, reportedly having just a £40million price tag.
