Real Madrid have made Newcastle United midfielder Bruno Guimaraes their No.1 transfer target if Casemiro decides to join Manchester United this summer.
The 24-year-old joined the Magpies in a deal worth around £40million from Lyon back in January, and has since made 19 appearances, scoring five goals. However, reigning Champions League winners Real have identified Guimaraes as a priority transfer should Casemiro leave the club, according to Dario AS.
It is understood the Red Devils are working on a deal to sign the 30-year-old Brazilian, with Erik ten Hag desperate to add a midfielder to his squad. Marca claims Casemiro will be allowed to decide if he accepts an offer of a five-year deal worth €10m a season to join the bottom team in the Premier League.
Los Blancos do not want to sell and he has a great relationship with coach Carlo Ancelotti, but they would be prepared to sell Casemiro for €60m after buying 22-year-old Aurélien Tchouaméni from Monaco for €80m. Casemiro, who currently earns around €5m per-year, will be allowed to go if he wants although reports claim United want the deal done by this weekend, so he can face Liverpool on Monday.
This could see Real accelerate their efforts to sign Guimaraes, who has also attracted interest from Liverpool following his impressive performances for Newcastle. The Spanish newspaper report that the 'operation would not be easy', however, since Guimaraes is a regular in the Magpies side and is adored by the fans.
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Sources close to Newcastle affirm that the club would ask for a figure well above double what was paid to Lyon for their star to pack his bags and head for the North East of England seven months ago. The Magpies do not want to sell Guimaraes and see him as a integral part of their long-term project.
But there is no doubt Guimaraes would be an astute signing for Los Blancos if they can get him across the line, adding to the already stacked midfield they have at the club. Eduardo Camavinga, Luca Modric, Toni Kroos, Aurelien Tchouameni and Federico Valverde are amongst the other options Carlo Ancelotti has at his disposal and the arrival of Guimaraes would surely make it the strongest midfield in the world, if it already isn't.
Since he made his Newcastle debut, no one has won more tackles, duels and fouls in the Premier League than Guimaraes. He is also a fixture in the Brazil squad and is set to be called up by boss Tite for the World Cup this year.
