Man Utd: £44m transfer ‘close’ as PL star decides to ‘says yes’; Romano reveals Casemiro ‘situation’ | OneFootball

According to reports, Manchester United are already ‘close’ to completing a January transfer as they look to sign a new centre-midfielder.

The Red Devils have been active in the transfer market over the past few months, with club chiefs sanctioning a significant squad overhaul after last season’s 15th-place finish in the Premier League.

It was recognised that change was needed to get Man Utd back on track and to give head coach Ruben Amorim a better chance of thriving.

Man Utd had a limited budget in the summer, but they raised money through several high-profile exits, with these deals allowing the club to spend around £230m as one of the window’s biggest spenders to sign Benjamin Sesko, Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Senne Lammens.

Each of these signings have made a positive impact in recent months as results and performances have improved. The Red Devils are currently five games unbeaten in the Premier League and can boost their Champions League hopes by beating Everton on Monday night.

So, Man Utd are on track, but they still have significant improvements to make and it has been widely reported that their next priority is to sign a new No.6.

United were priced out of a move for Brighton’s Carlos Baleba in the summer, but he remains an option with Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson and Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton.

Wolves star Joao Gomes has also been mentioned and he is a far cheaper alternative, with a report from Trivela claiming a 50 million euro (£44m) move to Man Utd is ‘close’.

The report claims:

Journalist Dean Jones has since informed our pals at TEAMtalk that Gomes to Man Utd has moved ‘one step closer’ as he has ‘said yes’ to a transfer and has had his ‘head turned’ by the Premier League giants.

Man Utd’s next midfield signing could end up competing with a resurgent Casemiro, with Fabrizio Romano reporting that he will remain at the club beyond the end of this season and the expiry of his contract on one condition.

“So now the desire is, from United obviously, to continue with Casemiro but on different conditions,” Romano said on his YouTube channel

“The salary he has right now is a salary that Man Utd don’t want to pay in the future. Not because of Casemiro or Maguire, but because they want to change the salary structure.

“So at the moment, for Casemiro, the only way to stay would be a different contract, a different salary. Otherwise, he could be free next summer to go wherever he wants.

“He always had a lot of interest, especially from Saudi Arabia. So, after his excellent performances recently, Casemiro obviously will have many clubs interested.

“At the moment that’s the situation with Casemiro. Nothing is guaranteed in terms of a new contract because of the salary, so either they find a solution on the salary structure together otherwise Casemiro could be leaving Man Utd in summer 2026.”