Ancelotti confirms Casemiro’s exit; Dortmund chief breaks silence on Ronaldo
Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed that Casemiro wants to leave the club for Premier League side Manchester United.
Which would present the midfielder with a “new challenge”. According to reports, the Brazilian is to sign a four to a five year deal at United with wages of around 16 million euros ($16.10 million) per year. United’s initial offer to the Spanish giants is around 70 million euros as per British media reports.
Casemiro has won three La Liga titles and five Champions Leagues during his nine-year spell at Madrid. He formed a formidable midfield trio with Luka Modric and Toni Kroos but his exit will have Aurelien Tchouameni replacing him in the role.
“Casemiro wants a new challenge and we understand his feeling, I do not think there is a way back,” Ancelotti told a news conference on Friday.
“For what Casemiro has done for this club and the person that he is, we have to respect his wishes. Now there are negotiations, nothing is official and he remains a Real Madrid player, but his desire is to leave. “If that happens and there is an agreement, we have the resources to replace him.”
At present, United are desperately in need of new recruits, having made a terrible start to their Premier League campaign. The Red Devils are at the bottom of the league standings for the first time in 30 years.
RONALDO’S FUTURE
While Casemiro is likely to become a United player before the Liverpool fixture, it remains to be seen whether Cristiano Ronaldo will stay at the club. The Portuguese superstar has teased on Instagram about his future, saying the media has been “telling lies” and, rather cryptically, that “they know the truth when they interview in a couple of weeks.”
It has been learnt that Ronaldo wants to play Champions League football, but United maintain he is not for sale and remains an integral part of the plans of new boss Erik ten Hag. The 37-year-old was reportedly offered to Borussia Dortmund but their chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke has said that he is not in talks with Ronaldo.
The Dortmund CEO said: “I love him as a player, it’s certainly a charming idea. To see Cristiano Ronaldo play at Signal Iduna Park… but there is no contact at all between the parties involved. So from now on, you should stop talking about it.”
Ronaldo, who rejoined United a year ago from Juventus, still has a year left on his contract. He was their top scorer last season with 24 goals in all competitions.