Manchester United's 33-year-old Casemiro has publicly expressed his intention to stay until the end of his contract, and if any team wants to sign him, it must match his £350,000-a-week salary at the Red Devils. It is reported that this has hindered any potential transfer deals.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe is cutting operating costs, even cutting free lunches for Old Trafford staff in hopes of getting the club back to profitability. However, the effect of these moves was minimal, with the cost of lunch being £1 million a year, and Casemiro's three-week salary was already more than that.

But Rajue will not be able to purge Casemiro easily, as no club is willing to match the Fat Tiger's salary at Manchester United, with the Saudi patrons seemingly to have lost interest in the Brazilian superstar at the moment.

Casemiro has just celebrated his 33rd birthday and his value is only going to get lower. During the winter window in January, there were rumours that Saudi Arabia's Riyadh Victory were interested in bringing in them, but the club where Ronaldo played did not make any substantive moves. The same has happened with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's Turkish side Besiktas and Brazilian powerhouse Flamengo.

At the beginning of February, Casemiro made a public statement, insisting that he had no intention of leaving Manchester United before his contract expired, and that his contract expires in 2026 with a new year of first refusal, which the club will certainly not use. According to British media "TEAMtalk", Casemiro is increasingly likely to stay at Manchester United until the end of his contract in 2026.

TEAMtalk confirmed that teams in Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Brazil had all asked Casemiro, but none of them had taken any specific follow-up action for him, as Fat Tiger stated that he was not willing to concede on the very high salary demand. Sources said Casemiro "will not give up a penny of his salary", and the other party listened to it and gave up.

ANOTHER BRITISH MEDIA OUTLET "GIVEMESPORT" REPORTED THAT MANCHESTER UNITED ARE UNHAPPY WITH CASEMIRO'S SITUATION AT THE CLUB, AND SELLING HIM THIS SUMMER WILL BE A TOP PRIORITY FOR LAJUE. Insiders feel that Casemiro has fallen into his comfort zone, no longer reflecting the hunger and intensity of Real Madrid's five-time Champions League triumph, nor the highlights of his first season at Manchester United.

Casemiro has never been a very possessive midfielder and his athleticism is the driving force that makes him one of the best defensive midfielders in Europe. After losing this advantage, he has no value in existence. Considering that he is the Reds' highest-paid player, that attitude is even more problematic.

Casemiro was recently asked to list the five best managers he has worked with in his career, and he did not choose any of the United managers. The Fat Tiger named Carlo Ancelotti, Zinedine Zidane, Tite, Jose Mourinho and even Julen Lopetegui, who briefly coached the Galacticos, with Ten Hag and Amorim both out of the picture.

Prominent transfer journalist Rudy Galetti claims that Manchester United's asking price for Casemiro is also a big obstacle, with Rajue wanting to receive €30 million (£25 million), which, combined with Casemiro's wage demands, has made his move a slip of the eye.

If the Saudi patron wants Casemiro, he would rather wait until 2026 for him to move on a free transfer. The only way Manchester United can purge Casemiro this summer is if United don't want money, or Casemiro changes his mind and agrees to a pay cut. Another option is to leave on loan, with United having to cover part of his wages.