Manchester United have been linked with a move for the Real Madrid man in recent days
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag celebrates his team's derby win over Manchester City at Old Trafford in January 2023.(Image credit: Getty Images)
Manchester United have been dealt a blow in their ambitious pursuit of Real Madrid midfielder Eduardo Camavinga, according to reports.
United signed Casemiro from the reigning European champions last summer, and the Brazil international has been a major hit at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils also added Christian Eriksen to their ranks ahead of this season, but Erik ten Hag is keen to further bolster his options in the engine room.
Real Madrid midfielder Eduardo Camavinga warming up ahead of the Copa del Rey clash against Villarreal in January 2023. (Image credit: Getty Images)
One rumoured target is Camavinga, who was signed by Madrid in 2021 as a long-term successor to Casemiro.
The 20-year-old is under contract until 2027, but the Blancos are preparing to offer him a new deal in order to insert a huge release clause.
The Sun writes that Madrid want to set that clause at £874m in a bid to ward off interest from Camavinga's suitors, a group which contains United.
Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti will be loath to lose Eduardo Camavinga this summer (Image credit: Getty Images)
It is unlikely that the France international would be willing to swap Madrid for Manchester at this stage of his career anyway.
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Camavinga has been with the Spanish giants for less than two years, and he has established himself as a regular starter this term.
United are on course to qualify for the Champions League this season as they continue their development under Ten Hag.
Manchester United signed Casemiro, who has been excellent this season, from Real Madrid last summer (Image credit: Getty)
But Madrid remain ahead of the Red Devils as things stand, with a Champions League quarter-final against Chelsea on the horizon.
“I’m not going to say it’s normal, but I’m here,” Camavinga told the Guardian of last season's Champions League triumph.
"I wouldn’t say it’s normal to win the Champions League, but I just enjoyed the moment.
"I’ll think about it more when I’m older: my first year and we won the Champions League. But there’s a culture here that you win many of them."
Greg Lea is a freelance football journalist who's filled in wherever FourFourTwo needs him since 2014. He became a Crystal Palace fan after watching a 1-0 loss to Port Vale in 1998, and once got on the scoresheet in a primary school game against Wilfried Zaha's Whitehorse Manor (an own goal in an 8-0 defeat).
