Manchester United are trying to sign Brazilian midfielder Casemiro from Real Madrid.
The English club are believed to be prepared to pay around €70 million for one of the stars of Real Madrid’s recent success stories. The 63-cap Brazil international has been perfectly happy at Madrid, where he has an excellent relationship with manager Carlo Ancelotti, who considers him one of his main allies in the dressing room. Ancelotti even apologised to him for getting him wrong in his first spell in Madrid, when he loaned the player to Porto.
Casemiro, who moved to Madrid in 2013, has three years left on his Madrid contract - a figure sources tell The National amounts to €5 million-per-year after taxes for the 30-year-old. But it is up to Casemiro to get his head around the idea of his time at Madrid being over. United’s offer is believed to be substantially more than his current deal and his contract would run for four years.
Man-of-the-match in Madrid’s recent Uefa Super League success against Eintracht Frankfurt (Casemiro always starts his pre-season alone in Brazil with a trainer and physio), his club had no intention of selling him, but accept that their side is entering a new phase, with young French midfielders Eduardo Camavinga, 19, and Aurelien Tchouameni, 22, seen as the future in Casemiro’s midfield position.
Asked after last week’s Super Cup success if the arrival of Tchouameni for a fee that could grow to €100 million has stung Casemiro, Ancelotti, who has been affectionate with his Brazilian recently, said: “I have not asked him. The match wasn't complicated because he has watched the offensive transitions very well. Tchouameni is going to learn a lot and is going to improve a lot with Casemiro”.
Zinedine Zidane has a similarly high opinion of Casemiro and that’s why Madrid are reluctant to let legendary names go, but their departure is easier to explain to fans if the offer for them is significant and they are encouraged by how they have prospered after the departures of Cristiano Ronaldo, Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane. They won the Champions League a year after those last two departed, and change is coming. Casemiro is at his best alongside Toni Kroos, 32, and Luca Modric, who turns 37 next month - the base in Madrid’s Bermuda triangle.
United have yet to contact Real Madrid, but the player and his agents are aware of United’s interest. They are not quashing it. It would be for the player to accept United’s offer and then tell Madrid not to demand a prohibitive figure to sell him, as Madrid did when Internazionale tried to sign Luca Modric five years ago. The National understands that Casemiro has yet to decide. One key factor is if Casemiro feels that he’s going to be a key starter for Madrid in the next two or three years, as he is now.
United have wanted a defensive midfielder all summer, and Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong was the No 1 target. But despite the two clubs agreeing a fee for the Dutch midfielder the 25-year-old has shown no inclination to join United and has always preferred to stay at Barca. United switched attention to the Juventus midfielder Adrien Rabiot but were put off by his excessive wage demands where he wanted to be paid more than any other player apart from Ronaldo. That would have been negated by a lower transfer fee since Rabiot is out of contract next year.
Now, Casemiro is the subject of United’s attention. The player, an international colleague of United midfielder Fred, is obsessed by tactics and self-improvement. He studies his own game using Wyscout, analysing his performances in detail. He studied Kylian Mbappe ahead of a game against Paris Saint-Germain and, in the actual match, correctly anticipated what he was going to do. He talks to Ancelotti about tactics. Their wives watch Madrid games together at the Bernabéu.
“Case is already a coach,” a friend of the player told El Pais recently. “Ancelotti sees the Brazilian as the type of footballer he was, with great effort for the team accompanied by technical quality.”
Casemiro is a football addict, a man who cut short his own family holiday in Florida because he was concerned after Madrid lost a friendly against Atletico when he was supposed to be resting after winning the Copa America with Brazil. He’s often the first player to turn up to Madrid’s Valdebebas training ground and the last to leave. He’s reached the top for several reasons and one is his very Brazilian diet of feijoada (beans with salted pork), along with by rice and oranges. Rodrygo, his compatriot at Madrid, thinks Casemiro helped change the image of Brazilian footballers being lazy.
He’s slower than he was but considered more intelligent as a player. A key player for Madrid, Casemiro has won five Champions Leagues with Madrid, three Spanish league titles, one Copa del Rey, two Uefa Super Cups and three Fifa World Club Cups.
United felt they were played by some of Madrid’s stars in past transfer windows, such as when Ramos’ representatives contacted the club saying he was available only to use United’s interest as a ploy in negotiations with Paris Saint-Germain. But in this case, United have made the approach for a player they think will bring balance. Whether he wants to remains to be seen.
150 summer transfers - in pictures
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Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
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'The worst thing you can eat'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder MHEV
Power: 360bhp
Torque: 500Nm
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Price: from Dh282,870
On sale: now
German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
MATCH INFO
Day 2 at the Gabba
Australia 312-1
Warner 151 not out, Burns 97, Labuschagne 55 not out
Pakistan 240
Shafiq 76, Starc 4-52
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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The currency conundrum
Russ Mould, investment director at online trading platform AJ Bell, says almost every major currency has challenges right now. “The US has a huge budget deficit, the euro faces political friction and poor growth, sterling is bogged down by Brexit, China’s renminbi is hit by debt fears while slowing Chinese growth is hurting commodity exporters like Australia and Canada.”
Most countries now actively want a weak currency to make their exports more competitive. “China seems happy to let the renminbi drift lower, the Swiss are still running quantitative easing at full tilt and central bankers everywhere are actively talking down their currencies or offering only limited support," says Mr Mould.
This is a race to the bottom, and everybody wants to be a winner.
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
Despacito's dominance in numbers
Released: 2017
Peak chart position: No.1 in more than 47 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Lebanon
Views: 5.3 billion on YouTube
Sales: With 10 million downloads in the US, Despacito became the first Latin single to receive Diamond sales certification
Streams: 1.3 billion combined audio and video by the end of 2017, making it the biggest digital hit of the year.
Awards: 17, including Record of the Year at last year’s prestigious Latin Grammy Awards, as well as five Billboard Music Awards
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FINAL RECKONING
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Starring: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg
Rating: 4/5
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The biog
Age: 35
Inspiration: Wife and kids
Favourite book: Changes all the time but my new favourite is Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
Best Travel Destination: Bora Bora , French Polynesia
Favourite run: Jabel Hafeet, I also enjoy running the 30km loop in Al Wathba cycling track
Indika
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THE SPECS
Jaguar F-Pace SVR
Engine: 5-litre supercharged V8
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Power: 542bhp
Torque: 680Nm
Price: Dh465,071
UAE SQUAD
Ahmed Raza (Captain), Rohan Mustafa, Jonathan Figy, CP Rizwan, Junaid Siddique, Mohammad Usman, Basil Hameed, Zawar Farid, Vriitya Aravind (WK), Waheed Ahmed, Karthik Meiyappan, Zahoor Khan, Darius D'Silva, Chirag Suri
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
Heather, the Totality
Matthew Weiner,
Canongate
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
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PROFILE OF HALAN
Started: November 2017
Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport and logistics
Size: 150 employees
Investment: approximately $8 million
Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
World record transfers
1. Kylian Mbappe - to Real Madrid in 2017/18 - €180 million (Dh770.4m - if a deal goes through)
2. Paul Pogba - to Manchester United in 2016/17 - €105m
3. Gareth Bale - to Real Madrid in 2013/14 - €101m
4. Cristiano Ronaldo - to Real Madrid in 2009/10 - €94m
5. Gonzalo Higuain - to Juventus in 2016/17 - €90m
6. Neymar - to Barcelona in 2013/14 - €88.2m
7. Romelu Lukaku - to Manchester United in 2017/18 - €84.7m
8. Luis Suarez - to Barcelona in 2014/15 - €81.72m
9. Angel di Maria - to Manchester United in 2014/15 - €75m
10. James Rodriguez - to Real Madrid in 2014/15 - €75m
