Sheikh Jassim ready to write ‘blank cheque’ for another Casemiro and Varane

Sheikh Jassim of Qatar is reportedly confident that he will beat Sir Jim Ratcliffe and be named the preferred bidder of the Glazers to take over at Manchester United as he is already making plans to attack the upcoming transfer window. The Qatari-backed bid will likely look to make a statement signing, potentially similar to the Casemiro and Raphael Varane deals from Real Madrid in recent years and have already eyed his man.

Spanish outlet Nacional have claimed that Jassim is prepared to write a “blank cheque” in order to repeat operations that saw them land Casemiro and Varane. This time, it appears that United have set their sights on Federico Valverde. The Uruguayan has been described as indispensable at the Bernabeu, but amid the potential arrival of Jude Bellingham his place in the team may come under threat.

Carlo Ancelotti likely will have Bellingham, Valverde, Eduardo Camavinga, Aurelien Tchouameni, Luka Modric and Toni Kroos to call upon, which may worry Valverde especially if he is offered the chance to star at Old Trafford. The report states that he is described as a ‘prime target’ by Jassim, who won’t rest until he is signed by United.

United are said to have already contacted Valverde to convince him to move to the Premier League, having guaranteed him a much higher salary and a blank cheque on the table. The 25-year-old has a contract at Madrid until 2027 with a release clause of £856million, meaning that United will have to negotiate with the club.

United could offer as much as £87m to Florentino Perez to open negotiations for Valverde, though the clubs likely have a good relationship having agreed to deals bringing Varane and Casemiro to Old Trafford in the past few years.

Valverde has shown his versatility under Ancelotti in recent years, often appearing on the right wing to accommodate Vinicius Jr and Karim Benzema, United could give him the opportunity to shine in the middle alongside Casemiro. Christian Eriksen has often paired the Brazilian but Erik ten Hag’s side have made no secret of their desire to reinforce the midfield.