Tottenham And West Ham ‘Remain Interested’ But Saudi Arabia ‘Most Concrete’ For Star
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Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United ‘remain interested’ in signing Barcelona midfielder Marc Casado, but Saudi Arabia have emerged as the likely ‘most concrete option’.
The Catalonia-born midfield talent joined Barcelona’s youth academy back in 2016 when he was only 13 years old.
Casado kept impressing in the world-class La Masia academy and made his senior debut for the La Liga giants almost two years ago, against bitter rivals Atletico Madrid.
The 22-year-old defensive midfielder has 71 senior appearances for the Catalan giants under his belt, but he is not a regular name for Hansi Flick.
Even though Casado has played 30 times for Barcelona this term across all competitions, he has clocked a little more than 1,300 minutes, which is significantly less than his expectations.
Last summer, Premier League outfit Tottenham Hotspur explored a move for the two-time Spain-capped midfielder.
Fellow London rivals West Ham also showed interest in him, and it was suggested that if he wants to leave, Barcelona would not stand in his way.
However, a move away from the La Liga giants did not happen for Casado, and he is not playing as much as he wants to.
According to Italian outlet Tutto Mercato Web, Tottenham and West Ham ‘remain interested’ in signing Casado, but there is competition from Saudi Arabia.
It is suggested that Saudi Arabia is likely ‘the most concrete option’ for the midfielder and an offer of around €40m could arrive.
Tottenham and West Ham will need to secure their safety first in the top-flight, as both of them are wedged in a relegation battle in the dying embers of the current campaign, before looking at battling for Casado.
West Ham won last week, while Spurs lost 1-0 to Sunderland, which saw them slip to 18th in the league table, two points below 17th-placed Hammers.
One former Premier League star has pointed towards Tottenham’s mental fragility amid poor results, and if a player like Casado will fancy joining a team like that next season, remains a big question mark.
It remains to be seen whether either West Ham or Spurs will make a move for him if they are safe at the end of the season, or if Saudi Arabia’s lure will be too much for Barcelona to turn a potential offer down in the summer.
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