Man Utd Learn Casado Price as Bouaddi Scrap With City

Barcelona have reportedly set their asking price for Marc Casado, and a separate transfer scrap with Manchester City has developed over Lille's Ayyoub Bouaddi, two fresh midfield threads for a Manchester United rebuild that shows no sign of stopping after two signings worth a combined £85m. Casado was a name United were previously linked with before he looked set for Monaco, according to reporting from TeamTalk, Mundo Deportivo and transfer journalist Ben Jacobs.

The Casado deal that Monaco walked away from

TeamTalk's transfer correspondent Graeme Bailey first reported United's interest in the 22-year-old back in early June, at a point when Casado looked set to join Monaco instead. The French club has since backed out, reportedly unwilling to get drawn into a bidding war, which has left the door open for other suitors including United. Barcelona are said to be willing to negotiate for an offer above €30m, around £25.6m, with Mundo Deportivo reporting that the club believe they can get between €30m and €40m given Casado's age and his status as a La Masia academy product. That is described as an initial asking price rather than a fixed one, but even at the top end it is the kind of fee United could absorb without difficulty. Casado's situation at Barcelona explains why a move now looks likely. He made just 15 starts across all competitions last season after falling down Hansi Flick's pecking order, and is said to have accepted that his future lies away from Camp Nou, with sporting director Deco tasked with finding him a new home.

Bouaddi: the long-term Casemiro successor caught between two Manchester clubs

The second name is a longer-running interest rather than a fresh one. TeamTalk's Fraser Fletcher first reported United's interest in Bouaddi back in December, with the 18-year-old viewed at Old Trafford as a long-term successor to Casemiro. That interest survived United's brief diversion toward Ederson, before that deal was abandoned, and Ben Jacobs reported on 14 July that talks are ongoing. "Lille seeking €100m for Ayyoub Bouaddi, as previously revealed," Jacobs wrote. "Number would drop for suitors prepared to keep Bouaddi at Lille for a further year. Manchester City a leading contender, as reported last month. Arsenal and Manchester United have also been in talks." That City interest is the real obstacle here. The Athletic has reported City are "pushing hard" to sign Bouaddi for Enzo Maresca, who wants him as an important piece of his rebuild even after City's addition of Elliot Anderson. A Manchester derby fought over a teenager who has not started a Premier League game is an odd one, and it is City who currently look best placed to win it.

Does United actually need either of them

The honest question is whether Casado or Bouaddi solve a problem United still have or simply add depth to one they have already fixed. Santos and Tielemans were signed specifically to rebuild the base of midfield after Casemiro's exit, and Bouaddi's profile as a long-term Casemiro replacement overlaps with ground Santos in particular is meant to cover. Casado's case is easier to justify on value alone: a 22-year-old academy product available for a fraction of what United have already spent this summer is the sort of deal a club takes even when it was not first on the list. Bouaddi is a different calculation entirely, a teenager United would be signing on potential rather than need, at a fee that would only make sense if Lille's price genuinely drops for a patient buyer.

Verdict: one bargain worth taking, one fight worth losing

Casado at €30-40m is the kind of signing that explains itself: young, proven at academy level, available cheaply because his own club has moved on from him rather than because he lacks quality. Bouaddi is a better player on reputation but a worse fit on timing, arriving into a midfield that already has its long-term base sorted and into a bidding war with a rival who wants him more urgently. Buying him now would be a bit like ordering a second sofa before the first one has even been delivered. United's summer has been defined so far by knowing exactly which problem each signing solves. Casado fits that pattern. Losing out to City on Bouaddi would not.

Sources: Reporting from TeamTalk (Graeme Bailey, Fraser Fletcher), Mundo Deportivo and Ben Jacobs.