Man Utd told ‘better fit’ between Bruno Guimaraes, Elliot Anderson & Aurelien Tchouameni as successor to Casemiro is sought in summer transfer window

It has been suggested that England international Anderson will come with a £100 million ($135m) price tag if Forest open themselves up to a sale. Brazilian superstar Guimaraes could also demand a nine-figure fee, while French enforcer Tchouameni will not be cheap if efforts are made to prise him away from Real Madrid.

The latter has already filled Casemiro’s boots once before, having moved to Santiago Bernabeu a matter of weeks before the veteran South American packed his bags for Manchester. Tchouameni has claimed La Liga and Champions League titles with Real.

He is only 26 years of age, making him a younger alternative - by two years - to Newcastle talisman Bruno and a more experienced option than 23-year-old Anderson. Those numbers will be factored into any equation at Old Trafford.

Replacing Casemiro will not be easy, given the numbers that he is posting while heading towards free agency, with many United fans eager to see the 34-year-old Brazil international retained for at least one more season.

A parting of ways does appear inevitable, and that will leave a sizable void to be filled in the middle of the park. Several potential targets appear to have been identified, with the Red Devils understandably keen to avoid being dragged into long-running sagas across a window that will include the 2026 World Cup.

Quizzed on who he would sign if presented with the choice of Guimaraes, Anderson or Tchouameni, ex-United striker Saha - speaking exclusively in association with Betinia - told GOAL: “I think if you look at the kind of loss that you're going to have with Casemiro’s departure, you need someone who is experienced, someone who has that ability to maintain that quality in that midfield in terms of position.

“I think definitely there is a really nice candidate. I think Guimaraes has the experience of the Premier League, so he will fit really nicely. He's an aggressive player, but also a very technical one. He can maybe add a few more goals to his tally to become complete. I would think he is a better fit in the Premier League.

“Tchouamani is the one who maybe has the most experience at a very high level. Playing under massive pressure pretty much every day, that's the type of thing that Casemiro has done. So Tchouameni has already been the replacement for Casemiro.

“Those three all make sense. [Adam] Wharton has done really well but from the three, I would choose Guimaraes and Tchouameni.”

Ruling out Anderson may be the best option for United as he is also said to be registering on the recruitment radar of arch-rivals Manchester City. They do, however, already have Rodri, Nico Gonzalez and Tijjani Reijnders on their books, which may lead to potential targets favouring less competition elsewhere.

A return to Champions League competition for 2026-27 will present the Red Devils with a useful bargaining chip in their efforts to get big-money deals over the line, with it being suggested that they could be a few shrewd additions away from becoming Premier League title contenders once more.