Manchester United in for Casemiro?

January isn’t as far off as it seems. Major European clubs are already gearing up for the mid-season transfer window, and Brazilian national team captain Casemiro is at the center of the latest speculation.

Reports suggest that Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has his sights set on the Real Madrid star. Rumor has it that Mourinho is willing to break the bank for Casemiro, bringing him in as one of the top paid players in Manchester United. Conversely, Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane has made his intentions of keeping Casemiro clear.

This sounds like a little bit of unfinished business on the part of Jose Mourinho. The self-proclaimed Special One was sacked by Real Madrid in 2013, and Casemiro arrived at Real Madrid in 2013. Albeit, Casemiro spent most of the 2013 season on loan with Real Madrid B, and the exact dates of each respective party’s arrival and departure would have to be compared to determine whether the two were truly working at Valdebebas simultaneously, but Jose Mourinho has definitely established a modus operandi of bringing players from former clubs with him to new clubs. One of the latest examples is Nemanja Matic, who played for Mourinho at Chelsea and has followed him to Manchester United. Perhaps, Mourinho saw Casemiro as a diamond in the rough all those years ago. Now, he may want to finalize Casemiro’s training to make him the next big thing.

It would be easy to view this as a mere move of personal preference for Mourinho, but, believe it or not, Casemiro could fill a real need with Manchester United. A few months ago, this move may not have made sense for the club, but with power players like Paul Pogba and Marouane Fellaini in the midst of injury spells, the Red Devils are in desperate need of reinforcements. In many ways, Casemiro would be at odds with Nemanja Matic, who already holds down the midfield for the Red Devils. Maybe a little friendly rivalry will bring out the best in both players.

Despite all the reasons this move would make sense for the Red Devils, it will be a hard fought battle to pry Casemiro away from Real Madrid. The Spanish giants can be a real force to be reckoned with when it comes transfers, and it’s going to take a considerable sum of money to lure Casemiro away from his dream club.