Casemiro was “disappointed” after Manchester United missed out on £82 million signing

Casemiro was “disappointed” after Manchester United missed out on an £82 million signing last summer.

The Brazilian midfielder signed for United in the summer of 2022 and helped them to a third-place Premier League finish in his debut campaign.

He also scored in the Carabao Cup final against Newcastle, helping the club win its first piece of silverware since 2017.

However, Casemiro produced an underwhelming campaign last term and seems likely to depart Old Trafford in this transfer window.

The 32-year-old was not best pleased with the activity in the transfer market last summer, however, after he had been told that United had ambitions to compete at the top.

Following a promising first season, Erik ten Hag wanted his team to sign Harry Kane from Tottenham Hotspur, with the England top-goalscorer being identified as the goalscorer who could elevate the Reds to become a title-challenging team.

Instead, the United board decided against a move for the player due to the difficulties of doing business with Daniel Levy and instead signed Rasmus Højlund, a young and promising striker but far from the finished article.

An interesting article from The Athletic has detailed that United missing out on Kane – who eventually moved to Bayern Munich for £82 million – was something that ‘disappointed’ him and various members of the squad.

“Many in Ten Hag’s squad wanted and expected United to go for Kane so that the team could, in their minds, be transformed into title challengers,” wrote Laurie Whitwell in the detailed article.

“Casemiro was known to feel that having come third, with 75 points, adding a proven scorer of Kane’s quality would have lifted United’s aspirations significantly.

“He had been told when signing that United intended to make additions to compete at the top of the Premier League and gave the impression he was disappointed that, having done his bit, the recruits last summer did not marry up to that proposed ambition.

“He was not alone in that thinking and the attitude in camp suffered as a consequence.”

Kane scored 44 goals in 45 appearances for the German club last season but was unable to lift the first trophy of his career after Bayer Leverkusen lifted the Bundesliga title.

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