Man Utd told who ‘first choice’ midfield transfer target should be amid links to Elliot Anderson, Sandro Tonali & Fede Valverde

Brazil international Casemiro is bringing a four-year stint in English football to a close as his contract expires and free agency is reached. The 34-year-old former Real Madrid star will leave a sizable void to be filled in United’s engine room.

Ensuring that there is no loss of power in that department will be an issue that Michael Carrick and Co address as a matter of urgency. Several potential targets are said to have been identified, with the merits of each being carefully considered.

Some eye-watering fees are being mooted, as another transfer window prepares to swing open, with World Cup-bound England star Anderson said to come with a nine-figure price tag. United are, however, looking to make shrewd additions that will aid short and long-term causes.

Adam Wharton and Carlos Baleba are two more names to have been added to the pot, as they tick useful boxes when it comes to Premier League experience and the potential for future growth. Who, though, will the Red Devils ultimately settle upon - with star turns from Real Madrid to Brighton registering on their recruitment radar?

Asked who he would plump for if put in charge of United’s transfer kitty, former Red Devils midfielder Djemba-Djemba - speaking exclusively to GOAL in association with World Cup Betting - said: “Manchester United is a big team and they want to win trophies, they want to come up again, to stay there. For me the first choice, Valverde and the second one, Baleba.

“They finished third, they go to the Champions League, now they need some players who come with experience, who can keep the ball, who can bring the spirit of the game.

“Valverde is the main man. Valverde, he's a box-to-box player, he can play winger too, he can play right-back too, because I saw him play right-back. Valverde is the main man. I think if they ask me to pick, I will pick him, I will pick him first and Baleba second choice.”

United are heading back to the Champions League having gone 15 years since they last made the final of that prestigious competition. They have previously enjoyed two unbeaten runs to glory in that event - in 1999 and 2008 - with Bally Bet ranking each team to achieve that feat ahead of the 2026 showpeice seeing Arsenal lock horns with Paris Saint-Germain.

United’s Treble winners actually fill last spot, having only boasted a win ratio of 46.2 per cent, with Bayern Munich’s class of 2020 topping the pile as they prevailed in every single game - famously beating Lionel Messi and Barcelona 8-2 at one stage.

The Red Devils are hoping to savour similar success across future campaigns, but will be taking on that challenge without Casemiro at their disposal as a new era of midfield enforcers are charged with the task of becoming key cogs in a well-oiled machine.

Quizzed on whether he would like to have seen five-time Champions League winner Casemiro spend one more year at the so-called ‘Theatre of Dreams’, Djemba-Djemba said: “He's had a great season. I hoped he would stay for another year - he's a fantastic midfielder. He has many, many, many experiences.

“I would love him to stay one year more, but I don't have the decision. He has the decision, but I think it was too early for him to say what to do, that he will leave the club. It was early for him because after that, when Michael Carrick came, everything changed, didn't it?

“Everything was changing, he was playing well, the team was playing well, they came up again, now they will go to Champions League. I think it was early for him to announce that he will leave the club. I hoped he would stay again one year more, but sadly, it's football.”

Casemiro will be a big miss for United, given the quality and vast experience that he boasts, but there are enough options out there to suggest that a deserving heir to the all-action South American's crown can be found.

Carrick, fresh from signing a permanent contract to stay on as Red Devils boss, is the man charged with the task of scouting and spending wisely - with a fresh face required to slot in alongside record-breaking club captain Bruno Fernandes at the start of a 2026-27 campaign that is already generating discussion regarding a potential Premier League title bid.