Manchester United join Atletico Madrid in January pursuit of Barcelona midfielder | OneFootball

Marc Casado has endured a difficult season at FC Barcelona this season, having found minutes extremely hard to come by under Hansi Flick.

The 22-year-old starlet enjoyed his breakthrough during the last campaign, but has been reduced to a marginal role this time around.

After all, the likes of Pedri, Frenkie de Jong, Marc Bernal, and even Eric Garcia are now ahead of him in the pecking order. With Gavi’s return from injury imminent, Casado’s prospects will likely get even bleaker.

As such, there has been talk of a potential January departure for the midfielder, with Atletico Madrid showing an interest in his services.

Atletico Madrid joined by Manchester United, Wolves in Casado race

Now, according to Mundo Deportivo, Atletico Madrid are not the only club tracking Marc Casado, as Premier League sides Manchester United and Wolves have also entered the fray.

Atletico have had their eyes on Casado for some time now, with former Barcelona director Mateu Alemany taking over as the Spanish capital club’s transfer chief.

While there has not been a formal offer made yet, both Barcelona and Casado are aware of Atletico’s interest, through his agent Jorge Mendes.

Los Rojiblancos are also working on other alternatives to replace Conor Gallagher, with names like Joao Gomes of Wolves, who is also represented by Mendes, and Ederson of Atalanta also being targeted.

Marc Casado on Atletico Madrid and Man United’s radar. (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)

However, both Gomes and Ederson would likely command a higher fee than Casado, leading to Atleti’s interest in the player.

Meanwhile, in the Premier League, Manchester United, in need of a midfielder, have also enquired about Casado, while Wolves, with close ties to Mendes, have continued to monitor him since last summer.

Casado’s stance

Casado’s initial preference has always been to finish the season at Barcelona. But in the event of leaving the club of his life, his first idea was to prioritise a move abroad.

Diego Simeone already wanted him last summer and, despite having opportunities to leave, Casado chose to remain at Barcelona, as it was the fulfilment of his lifelong dream.

However, now, he does not view the Atletico option unfavourably and is waiting to see how the situation develops in the final stretch of the winter transfer window.

Flick has significant confidence in Casado and has communicated this to the player, even though his on-pitch involvement has decreased notably. So, it remains to be seen what the young midfielder decides to do.