Current football transfer rumors suggest that Manchester United have learned lessons from past mistakes in the market. And why Tottenham seem unlikely to part with a proven marksman, and why Crystal Palace may want to keep one of their most effective creative forces.
Man Utd want to sack Casemiro – and won’t sign Lewandowski
Rumor Rating: 8
The era of the thirty-something superstar appears to be coming to an end at Manchester United. For the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Edinson Cavani, age has not been a barrier to a lucrative late-career contract over the past decade. That trio alone had a combined age of 103 when they arrived at (or, in Ronaldo’s case, returned to) Old Trafford, but it appears co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe is ready to pull down the shutters on Manchester’s most exclusive retirement home, with midfielder Casemiro first in line to feel the chill of exclusion.
It is widely rumored that United will not exercise an option to extend the 33-year-old midfielder’s contract for another year when it expires next summer. While Casemiro has been a key figure in the club’s recent renaissance, starting alongside Bruno Fernandes when United won three games in a row for the first time under Ruben Amorim, the Brazil international’s hefty salary has become something of a financial albatross. Casemiro would earn around £18 million a year, a significant outlay for a club linked to a range of potentially expensive midfield alternatives, including Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton, Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson and Denmark international Morten Hjulmand.
Casemiro is one of four outfield United players aged 30 or over, and perhaps significantly there is also uncertainty over the futures of Fernandes, 31, who was pursued by Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal this summer, and former captain Harry Maguire, whose contract expires at the end of this season. Should the trio leave, 30-year-old Luke Shaw would be the oldest first-team player remaining at the club.
United appear to be actively reducing the age profile of their squad, which could also explain the rumors that a proposed move by Robert Lewandowski has been vetoed next summer. The 37-year-old Poland international is widely expected to leave Barcelona when his contract expires in June, but Amorim’s alleged belief that the prolific striker would add value to the squad is apparently not shared by Ratcliffe, who has spoken of a desire to revive the club’s youth academy.
For a club whose illustrious history was largely forged by the Busby Babes and the Class of ’92, that approach seems logical.
Tottenham want to fire Dominic Solanke
Rumor Rating: 4
Every manager wants a striker who can score around 20 goals a season, and in recent years Dominic Solanke has been exactly that. Last season, the 28-year-old England international found the net 16 times in all competitions in his debut campaign for Tottenham. The season prior to his £55 million move to north London, Solanke scored 21 goals for Bournemouth, for whom he also scored 30 in the 2021/2022 season. The man knows where the net is.
You’d have to be stupid to ignore such a record, and Thomas Frank certainly isn’t. So suggestions that the Dane does not see Solanke as the solution to Tottenham’s goalscoring needs deserve to be taken with a grain of salt, especially given the forward’s ongoing fitness issues. Earlier this month, Solanke underwent minor surgery on an ankle injury sustained in preparation. The problem has limited him to three substitute appearances totaling just 49 minutes, meaning Frank has barely had a chance to see him play, let alone conclude he doesn’t meet the requirements.
In Solanke’s absence, the burden of scoring was shared by others, most notably Richarlison and defender Micky van de Ven. Randal Kolo Muani, the France international on a season-long loan from Paris Saint-Germain, made his club debut in the weekend win at Everton, and despite the odd setback at home, Spurs currently sit third in the Premier League. Clearly there is no need to panic, and Frank’s approach to Solanke’s injury suggests he has no intention of doing so.
“Dom is doing well after the operation,” Frank said recently. “He’s improving now, but he’s still training on his own, so I don’t want to be too excited or too negative either way. So I’m kind of just taking it day by day and week by week to see how quickly he’s progressing.”
“Dom is a naturally fit player. There are players who naturally bring that fitness to a high level. But we also have to take into account that he has not actually trained with the team since July. But that does not mean that it will take three months to get up to speed. It will just take some time.”
They are hardly the words of a manager hell-bent on signing a replacement, and while there may be some merit to the rumors that Porto striker Samu Aghehowa has caught Frank’s eye, a €100 million release clause and rival interest from Arsenal, Nottingham Forest and Newcastle would suggest Tottenham would be better off biding his time.
Barcelona want to sign Crystal Palace full-back Daniel Muñoz
Rumor Rating: 5
Difficult to call this.
Daniel Muñoz has become increasingly influential for Crystal Palace since joining from Genk in January 2024. The 29-year-old Colombia international is a late bloomer and combines a ruthless work ethic, which makes him invaluable defensively, with the ability to penetrate into the final third. No other Premier League defender has contributed more goals, taken more shots or created more chances in open play since the start of last season. It’s not hard to imagine why Barcelona would covet those qualities, and Muñoz could well be as receptive to the club’s overtures as the next South American.
What remains unclear, however, is why Palace would let him go for £26 million, which is roughly the offer Barcelona have made according to reports in the Spanish press. While that would represent a healthy profit for a player signed from Genk for around £6.8 million, this is well below the market value for a player of Muñoz’s profile, even taking into account that he has less than two years left on his contract. Given that Palace already face the prospect of losing Marc Guéhi on a free transfer when his contract expires next summer, it seems a strange decision to sell Muñoz for less than it would cost to replace him, even if Oliver Glasner were willing to approve it.
It is also not clear why Barcelona would want the Colombian. Manager Hansi Flick favors a back four, and although Muñoz has played in that position, his best work has been at Palace, where Glasner has deployed him as a full-back. Barcelona already have French international Jules Koundé at right-back, and while there are suggestions they could be in the market for a back-up option, it is unclear why a player whose professional debut did not come until he was 20 would turn his back on Selhurst Park just to pay second fiddle in Catalonia.
Something about this just isn’t right.
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