Manchester United are stepping up their efforts to replace Casemiro this summer, with Chelsea midfielder Andrey Santos emerging as a serious target for the club.
The Brazilian has been valued at around £50m, and United officials have already held multiple meetings with those representing the player.
Transfer insider Fabrizio Romano revealed on his YouTube channel that United have been in contact with Santos’ agent since earlier in the year.
“For Andrey Santos, they had contact with the agent of the player, and it’s not the first contact because it’s something that started a long time ago in February and in March,” Romano said.
“Man United had two meetings with Juliano Bertoi, the Brazilian agent who represents Andrey Santos. So there is a good feedback between Man United and Andrey Santos.”
Romano also confirmed that Christopher Vivell, the United figure who previously worked at Stamford Bridge, is a key driver behind the interest in Santos.
“He’s a name that also Christopher Vivell, who was at Chelsea and then joined Manchester United management, knows very well,” Romano added.
“So for sure is one of the names on the list. At the moment, Chelsea are yet to receive any bid from Manchester United, but he’s one of the names on the list at Man United.”
Casemiro’s departure from Old Trafford leaves a significant void in United’s midfield, and the club are actively searching for a player capable of filling that role.
Santos has drawn considerable praise from Brazilian football expert Filippo Silva, who described the midfielder as “maybe a bit of a mix between Bruno Guimarães and Casemiro.”
That comparison is not without substance, with Santos demonstrating both the attacking intent associated with Guimaraes and the defensive tenacity that made Casemiro such a force during his peak years.
During his loan spell at Strasbourg in Ligue 1 in 2024/25, Santos scored and assisted 13 goals while also creating eight big chances from a box-to-box role.
Defensively, he averaged 4.4 tackles and interceptions per game in that Ligue 1 season, a figure that mirrors Casemiro’s own average during his standout first United season in 2022/23.
For comparison, Casemiro averaged the same 4.4 tackles and interceptions per game in the Premier League during that 2022/23 campaign, highlighting just how similar the numbers are.
Guimaraes, who registered four assists and averaged two key passes per game at the World Cup, is a reported Arsenal target, which may make Santos an even more attainable option for United.
INEOS have shown a preference for Premier League-ready options throughout this transfer window, as demonstrated by their earlier pursuits of Elliot Anderson and Mateus Fernandes.
United have also been linked with Real Madrid’s Aurelien Tchouameni, though Romano suggested there is nothing particularly concrete on that front at present.
Santos may not carry the marquee appeal of some other targets, but his numbers and versatility make him a compelling option as United seek to rebuild their midfield this summer.