Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has confirmed a special send-off will be given to departing Casemiro ahead of his move to Manchester United while Luka Modric sent the Brazilian a special message.
Casemiro’s move to Old Trafford was confirmed on Friday evening as United paid an initial fee of £60million plus a further £10m in potential add-ons. United had made a deal for the Madrid star their prime focus after their move for Adrien Rabiot of Juventus broke down while Frenkie de Jong is still a Barcelona player.
The Brazilian international has become the fourth signing of the summer at United under new boss Erik ten Hag and they are hopeful the signing of the Brazilian will spark a late influx of arrivals. Defenders Lisandro Martinez and Tyrell Malacia joined from Ajax and Feyenoord respectively, while Christian Eriksen arrived as a free agent after his Brentford contract expired.
Casemiro is undergoing a medical at United this weekend before being registered officially as a player at Old Trafford, but Real Madrid president Perez explained on Saturday night that the club would give him a special send-off to mark his achievements.
The holding midfielder won 18 trophies at the club across eight remarkable seasons, including five Champions League trophies and three La Liga titles. The Spanish club’s first game without Casemiro saw them win 4-1 at Celta Vigo on Saturday night, as Aurelien Tchouameni replaced him in the line-up.
Perez told Spanish TV station DAZN after the top-flight encounter in Vigo: "Casemiro is a legend, he has earned the right to decide what he wanted to do for everything he has given us and next Monday we will recognise his career here with an event the Real Madrid sports city to celebrate how much he has done for our club."
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Modric – who netted in Saturday night’s victory in Vigo – added of his long-term teammate’s exit: "It's a shame, we've made history with him. We're going to miss him a lot as a footballer and as a person and I'm sad to see it go, but it's part of football."
United are hopeful of at least two more additions in the closing weeks of the summer transfer window. A £67million offer has been lodged for Ajax forward Antony, although this has been knocked back by the Dutch giants. PSV Eindhoven’s Cody Gakpo is an attacking alternative.
The club are also hopeful of signing a new goalkeeper to provide competition to the out-of-form David De Gea while they are also hopeful of adding a new right-back, although that is tied into the future of Aaron Wan-Bissaka – who may complete a return to Crystal Palace this summer.
