After confirming he will leave Manchester United at the end of the season, Casemiro has already attracted interest from Brazil. But so far, there has been no formal move.
Speaking on a local videocast, São Paulo’s football executive Rui Costa admitted there was informal contact with the midfielder shortly after his January announcement.
He detailed how the approach happened inside the club’s training ground: “We were one afternoon talking about it and one of our important players sent a message to Casemiro. Who wouldn’t like to have Casemiro in their team, right? I would!”
“He immediately replied saying that his project was not to return to Brazil, that his project was to remain in another market,” he said.
“There was no proposal”
Rui Costa was asked directly whether São Paulo – Casemiro’s youth club – had made an offer. He was emphatic in his reply.
“Does that mean São Paulo made a proposal for Casemiro? No. São Paulo did not make a proposal for Casemiro and it would not, in my view, be prudent to do so without having a clear picture of how our squad would look”, he stated.
He also clarified the nature of the contact.
“Obviously I could not omit myself in the role I have from at least understanding whether he saw São Paulo as an alternative. That is what we did,” he said. “There was no proposal, there was no formal enquiry. It was through an important person in the group who sent him a message.”
According to Rui Costa, this happened shortly after Casemiro publicly confirmed on 22 January that he would not continue at Manchester United beyond this season.
Palmeiras and overseas competition
Brazilian insider outlet Portal do Palestra claim Palmeiras are also monitoring the situation. The midfielder is seen internally as a viable option to the club once he becomes a free agent in June, as we covered before.
However, competition extends beyond Brazil. Reports mention interest from MLS side Inter Miami and Saudi clubs including Al-Nassr and Al-Ittihad.
Even so, Brazilian sources suggest Casemiro’s priority remains staying abroad, with either the United States or Europe viewed as his preferred destinations for 2026.
For Manchester United, the message from Brazil is clear. Admiration is there. Informal contact happened. But, at least for now, no concrete move has followed.
