Man Utd keen to offload 'top-earner' amid Roma interest as Man City beat Newcastle to £63m duo because of PSR

Manchester City and Manchester United are preparing for respective nights of crunch European action as they seek progress through their continental competitions. A 4-2 loss to Paris Saint-Germain left City with it all to do on the final matchday as they sit 25th in the table, one place outside the play-off spots.

They host Club Brugge at the Etihad Stadium knowing that a win will see them advance regardless of results elsewhere as Brugge are three points ahead of City but with an inferior goal difference. For United, they beat Rangers 2-1 at Old Trafford last Thursday when Bruno Fernandes struck in stoppage time. They are fourth in the table and guaranteed a spot in the top 24. A win against final league phase opponents FCSB will keep them in the top eight while a draw is also likely to be good enough. If other results go their way, Ruben Amorim’s side may lose and still retain a top-eight spot.

As the two clubs gear up for their latest European games, we have rounded up the latest transfer news and rumours from both Manchester outfits with the transfer window set to close on Monday at 11pm.

Man Utd ‘keen’ to offload Casemiro

United are keen to remove Casemiro’s salary from their wage bill but are yet to receive any ‘meaningful’ inquiries for the Brazilian at this stage of the transfer window. That is according to The Athletic who note the former Real Madrid player has fallen behind Toby Collyer in the midfield pecking order under Ruben Amorim.

The Daily Mail report the midfielder is the club’s top earner with a £375,000-a-week salary. Serie A side Roma are said to have expressed an interest but the player’s wages are an obstacle as things stand. It is a similar story for Marcus Rashford, who has openly expressed his desire to leave Old Trafford on loan but as of yet no club has been able to afford his wages.

Asked why Casemiro’s chances in the starting XI had become limited, United boss Amorim said last week: "He has to be the characteristics and then I have to choose the player with characteristics that I see the game. So it's just that. I have to make some choices. I want to play a style of game that is sometimes different from other coaches and I have to choose based on that, that's all."

Newcastle limited by PSR in Man City transfer battle

Manchester City signings Vitor Reis and Abdukodir Khusanov were “heavily” tracked by Premier League rivals Newcastle United ahead of their moves to the Etihad Stadium as profit and sustainability (PSR) limitations prevented the Magpies from recruiting the defenders this month.

That is also per a report from The Athletic, with Newcastle forced to sell Elliot Anderson to Nottingham Forest and Yankuba Minteh to Brighton last summer to avoid potential breaches of PSR. Earlier this month the Premier League confirmed that all 20 clubs were in line with financial rules for the 2023-24 season. Reis and Khusanov joined City for a combined total of just more than £63m. Pep Guardiola has been eager to refresh his squad this month after a difficult period.

Speaking in recent days, Khusanov’s agent Gairat Khasbiullin revealed Newcastle’s interest in the player ahead of his move to City. He said: “Newcastle were very close to the deal. They even remained one of the favourites [to sign him], and then was the last to leave the race with City. As far as I understand, financial fair play also had an impact. They didn’t have enough time. Perhaps if they had made an offer earlier, they would have had time to come to an agreement. Then City put so much pressure on Lens that it was difficult to make a comparable offer. It was also influenced by the fact that the French needed this money.”