In a shock move, Manchester United are now reportedly looking into cashing in on their highest-paid player in the January transfer window.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who is expected take over the Red Devils' sporting operations when his 25% ownership of the club is finalised, is said to be considering selling Brazilian talisman Casemiro in order to raise funds for a rebuild, according to talkSPORT.
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Casemiro was signed by Erik ten Hag's side on 22 August just last year, and made a dream to start to life at Old Trafford.
The Brazil international made 53 appearances in all competitions last season, contributing with seven goals and seven assists as his form helped the club to a third-place finish in the Premier League and add a Carabao Cup to their trophy cabinet.
His second campaign at the Manchester club, however, has been a different story.
Despite scoring four goals in 12 appearances so far, the Selecao midfielder has struggled to find the form he exhibited in the previous season, and is also currently sidelined with a hamstring injury.
With the January window fast approaching, an unnamed club from the Saudi Pro League is believed to be planning to swoop in for the five-time UEFA Champions League winner.
Ratcliffe, meanwhile, is reportedly keen to offload the Brazilian, who is United's biggest earner on £350 000 (R7.9 million) a week, in a bid to kick-start a rebuild under his tenure.
The British billionaire is also said to have allocated a whopping £240 million (R5 billion) to help the Dutch manager bolster his squad in an effort to turn their season around.
The Red Devils have endured a rough start to the season, losing five of their 12 opening EPL fixtures and managing only one win in four of their UCL matches.
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Ten Hag and his men are currently bottom of Group A in the UCL, and with must-win clashes against Galatasaray and Bayern Munich on the horizon, they face the danger of being knocked out of Europe at the group stage.
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