Danilo Santos: Man United learn there is a bargain to be struck for Casemiro replacement

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The Peoples Person

8 July 2026

One of Manchester United’s top midfield targets could now be available at a bargain, according to reports from Brazil.

Bolstering the engine room topped the agenda at Old Trafford this summer. United needed to replace the departing

Casemiro

Beyond that, they also needed to pursue an upgrade on

Manuel Ugarte

, after the Uruguayan clearly failed to have the impact he should have had at the centre of the park. At least two, if not three, quality midfielders needed to be signed.

United agreed a deal for Ederson as their first midfield addition, with his medical scheduled to seal the move.

However, striking deals for their other top midfield targets has proven tricky.

Elliot Anderson

Sandro Tonali

and

Mateus Fernandes

, who could have been dream midfield additions, have since signed for rivals.

Consequently, Ineos now have to rely on scouting reports to identify decent alternative targets. One name already circled is Botafogo’s

Danilo

Santos, who is widely viewed as a

brilliant Casemiro replacement

The ex-Nottingham Forest player’s reinvention at Botafogo, following his return home last summer, has not gone unnoticed. Indeed, his resurgence, showcasing what a complete midfielder he can be, seems to have blown scouts away.

Initially seen as a defensive-minded midfielder,

has since shown he can also pose an attacking threat, notching seven goals and two assists in his last 12 league games for Botafogo. There had already been talk of United moving for him before the World Cup, though the Brazilian outfit were not keen on striking a deal at that point.

Their hope was that they could secure more than the £34 million the midfielder was touted to command, following an anticipated impressive showing on the world stage. Unfortunately for Fogao,

never got the chance to show what he was truly about at the World Cup, managing just 43 minutes across Brazil’s tournament run.

This lack of game time has, in turn, changed everything regarding a potential deal for his Botafogo exit, according to Brazilian newspaper O Dia, as cited by

Sport Witness

Botafogo will not get what they wanted, with the midfielder returning “from the tournament without the significant jump in value they had hoped for.” Furthermore, “Botafogo’s financial situation has not changed, meaning the club still need a major sale this summer.”

The report adds: “With the anticipated World Cup boost failing to materialise, reports in Brazil suggest it may become difficult to hold firm at the €40m (£34m) valuation. That fee had been discussed before the tournament.”

Given his Premier League experience and the growth in his game over the past few months,

is undoubtedly a decent midfield option for the 20-time English champions. Should a bargain deal be there for the taking, as suggested, United ought to be the ones closing it.

With Arsenal also interested, United should move swiftly to try and get

through the door. Landing the

Brazilian

at a bargain would then give United all the leverage they need to go all out and pull off the headline Aurelien Tchouameni swoop.

Featured image Michael Owens via Getty Images

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