Carlo Ancelotti reveals Real Madrid’s plan to replace Casemiro

Casemiro is expected to complete a Real Madrid exit over the next few days and join Manchester United. It is believed that the Red Devils are shelling out an initial transfer fee of €60 million plus another €10 million in add-ons, in order to take the Brazilian midfielder to Old Trafford this summer.

That is a significant figure for sure, especially for someone who is 30 years of age. But at the same time, it is no secret that Casemiro was still a very important part of this Real Madrid side and thus, him leaving will leave a gap in the squad for sure.

Thus, it will be interesting to see how Real Madrid manage to replace one of their most experienced and reliable players. There are less than two weeks of the summer transfer window left.

Interestingly, it looks like Real Madrid might not end up making a signing at all. As reported by ESPN, Carlo Ancelotti said:

"“We have replacements within the squad.“We have a lot of good players who can play in that position. Tchouameni is one of the best midfielders in the market right now. Then there’s the option of Toni Kroos, who can play in that position, as he did in my second year here [the 2014-15 season], when we won 22 games in a row.“We have [Eduardo] Camavinga, who played last year. We can’t replace Casemiro with a player with the same characteristics, but we have others with different characteristics … In my [AC Milan] team [Andrea] Pirlo played in that position and did well.”"

The Real Madrid manager added:

"“If Casemiro goes, we have six midfielders.“[Luka] Modric, Kroos, Tchouameni, [Fede] Valverde, Camavinga and [Dani] Ceballos. I think six are enough to manage all season.”"

Real Madrid might not sign anyone despite Casemiro leaving for Manchester United

Casemiro’s exit is also set to bring an end to his legendary trio with Luka Modric and Toni Kroos in the middle of the park, which was a foundation for Real Madrid’s last four Champions League titles.

Ancelotti is correct though, in that the club have enough options in the middle of the park to cope, even without Casemiro in the squad.

Federico Valverde, Eduardo Camavinga, Aurelien Tchouameni and Dani Ceballos are all expected to be hungry to prove themselves and win a spot in Ancelotti’s starting XI this season.

Now, it remains to be seen how successful Real Madrid are in the big stages without someone like Casemiro, who always rose to the occasion and produced the big performances in the big moments. That will be a bigger loss than anything else.

Interestingly, despite Ancelotti’s comments, Real Madrid have been linked with a couple of potential replacements for Casemiro. Could Los Blancos spring a surprise?