Man Utd make transfer enquiry for Spain star previously linked to Chelsea | Football

Manchester United are interested in signing Marc Casado and have made an enquiry to gauge the Barcelona midfielder’s potential availability, according to reports in Spain.

Casado broke out of Barca’s academy ranks to make his senior breakthrough back in 2022 and has gone on to make 60 appearances in all competitions for the Catalan giants.

In that time, Casado has won four pieces of silverware with Barca, including last season’s La Liga title, in which he made 23 appearances across the club’s triumphant top-flight campaign.

However, Casado is far from a guaranteed starter under Hansi Flick, making just ten league starts this term, and there is mounting speculation that the 22-year-old midfielder could up sticks in pursuit of more regular minutes.

According to Barcelona-based newspaper Mundo Deportivo, Casado has previously been reluctant to even consider offers to move on from the Camp Nou, where it has been his ‘lifelong dream’ to a first-team star.

But Atletico Madrid have identified Casado as a potential replacement for Conor Gallagher, who joined Tottenham this January, and the Spain international ‘is not ruling out’ a proposed switch to the Spanish capital.

While Atleti first explored a move for Casado last summer, it’s claimed there is still no ‘formal offer’ on the table from Diego Simeone’s side as it stands.

Wolves’ Joao Gomes and Atalanta’s Ederson are also on Atleti’s radar as possible additions in central midfield – but both players would likely command significantly higher transfer fees than Casado.

Casado – who has been capped twice by the Spanish national team – has been keen to stay put until the end of the season and his initial idea was to prioritise a move overseas.

However, he now views Atleti as a ‘favourable’ option and is waiting to see how the situation develops in the final two weeks of the January transfer window.

The report adds that Manchester United and have also made an initial approach for Casado having ‘closely monitored’ the combative midfielder for some time.

Molineux is mooted as another potential destination for Casado, with the youngster placed on Wolves’ shortlist of midfield targets this winter.

Casado – who has previously been linked with Chelsea – is tied into a contract with Barca until June 2028.

Facing the media ahead of his side’s 2-1 defeat to Real Sociedad, Barca head coach Flick made it clear he would prefer to keep hold of Casado for the time being.

Asked what Dro Fernandez’s proposed move to PSG may mean for the future of both Casado and Marc Bernal, Flick replied: ‘I don’t know. My idea is for everyone to stay.

‘Dro’s situation isn’t completely finalised yet, but it’s football,

‘There are players who are 17 or 18 years old, but there are people around them who make decisions. But I don’t want to say anything more.’

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