Amorim greenlights significant sale with star's head turned and Ratcliffe ready to write off £30m

Manchester United are closing on an agreement to cut ties with Casemiro in January after it was reported that Sir Jim Ratcliffe was ready to sanction a monumental loss on the star and with the Brazilian set to choose between one of two destinations.

The Red Devils find themselves in a huge pickle with the club languishing in 14th place in the Premier League and having little to no funds to strengthen their squad in the winter window with Manchester United having to keep a close watch on their spending to ensure they do not breach the Premier League’s strict FFP regulations. The fact that the club has made 250 staff redundant and increased season ticket prices has typified the difficult position Ratcliffe has inherited.

While the British billionaire has ambitions to re-establish the club among the super-powers of English and European football, he knows there is a long road ahead and the first step towards that will be to tackle their financial situation, which sources have informed he feels is already out of hand.

As a result, a number of the club’s high-earning stars – including their two best-paid players, Marcus Rashford and Casemiro – find themselves on the chopping block as Ratcliffe looks to severely reduce the club’s formidable wage bill.

Plenty has been written about Rashford’s future of late and while his situation is ever-evolving, it seems he could be beaten out of the United exit door by Casemiro.

That’s after it was reported by a number of outlets that Ruben Amorim had greenlit his exit, the player himself is keen on a move and Ratcliffe was set to sanction a £30m loss on the club’s original £70m investment.

According to the Daily Mail, Casemiro is attracting fresh interest from Saudi Arabian clubs Al-Nassr and Al-Qadsiah, with both sides open to spending a fee in the region of £35m to £40m on signing the 32-year-old, who it is claimed now accepts the writing is on the wall over his time in the Premier League.

And per reports from UOL in Casemiro’s native Brazil, the player has given the green light for the move with the headline reading: ‘Casemiro agrees to leave United’.

The report goes on to claim that Casemiro ‘welcomes’ a move to Saudi Arabia after realising Amorim will phase him out at Old Trafford and with the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) said to be ‘determined’ to add Casemiro to their league.

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Our sources have also long reported interest in the player from Saudi Arabia and revealed back in October when Amorim was first in talks to take charge at United, that he was one of four players the Portuguese had immediately signposted as being allowed to leave and not being up to the standards required.

Now with the 32-year-old’s struggles in the Premier League becoming all the more apparent – and in light of the criticism he faced after being paired with Christian Eriksen, another star slotted to leave, in Monday’s loss to Newcastle – talks over his departure are now heating up.

It’s understood Casemiro is now increasingly open to the prospect of moving to the Middle East, with Amorim happy to let him move on and with Ratcliffe welcoming the fact that he can unburden the club of his £350,000 a week salary, which still has another 18 months left to run.

One move that had been reportedly on the cards was a return to his Brazilian roots, where Casemiro last played there back in 2013 for Sao Paulo before his hugely successful move to Real Madrid.

However, it is understood that a move there has been ruled out entirely and with the player now set to choose between one of the two SPL sides who had made their interest in him clear.

The move will also bring an end to an extremely difficult 18 months at United for the five-time Champions League winner.

And while his first year at United under Erik ten Hag was a big success, the pace of the Premier League was to soon catch up with the player, who came in for some severe criticism from Jamie Carragher, among others.

Speaking at the back end of last season, Carragher told Sky Sports that the player’s “legs had gone” and he was “finished” in the Premier League.

Speaking after Monday’s loss, Carragher repeated his claims that the 75-times capped Brazilian was not up to the standard required, but now pinned the blame on the manager for selecting him against Eddie Howe’s side.

“We have been speaking about [Christian] Eriksen and Casemiro on this show 18 months ago,” Carragher said on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football. “That’s on the manager.

“These players can’t run. We know that. That is on the manager putting these two players in that position and in that system. It is a major flaw. These two players can’t cover it.

“I’ve got no criticism at all with Eriksen or Casemiro. That is the manager’s fault. There is no way that plan could have worked in any way shape or form.”

Rashford exit latest: Arsenal move planned; German side enter mix

As far as Rashford is concerned, the prospect of the 27-year-old exiting Old Trafford is also heating up with the January window now open for business.

The Red Devils have cleared the way for the 60-cap England man to depart if the right offer comes their way – while a potential loan deal has not been ruled out either.

Reports from Spain claimed Rashford had offered his services to Barcelona, with the LaLiga giants described as a ‘dream destination’ for the player, who were described as one of four destinations for the player.

Since then, our reporter Rudy Galetti has revealed that a potential move to Germany with Borussia Dortmund was now opening up as a potential option, while he also understands that PSG continue to monitor his situation and cannot yet be ruled out.

The Ligue 1 giants’ offering of Randal Kolo Muani to Arsenal could free up that space, while the fact that Dortmund are in talks with Aston Villa over the sale of Donyell Malen could give the Bundesliga side the freedom to move for Rashford. Either way, there is a lot of moving parts at stake right now.

An interesting update on Rashford’s situation has also come to light more recently in light of fresh links to Arsenal.

And it’s now claimed the Gunners are even prepared to land the player in a permanent deal, though a report has detailed two demands – one of United and one of the player – that must be met before a deal can proceed.

How Casemiro has performed for Man Utd this season

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