Casemiro is reported to be “open” to joining Major League Soccer once his Manchester United contract expires this summer, with lifestyle considerations cited as a major factor.

Several MLS sides have been linked as interested suitors and the Telegraph say the “lifestyle” on offer in the United States is a key part of the appeal. Casemiro has been known to holiday in Miami, and the suggestion is that the chance to spend more time with family is influencing his thinking.

Lionel Messi, the figurehead of Inter Miami, has spoken at length about the contrast between life in the U.S. and the pressures of Europe. “We’re enjoying each day, and in a different way, because you enjoy it differently here, more relaxed, without so much pressure, without the obligation—although I always wanted to—to win and achieve all our goals,” Messi reflected at the end of 2025.

“Obviously, we want to [win], but the pressure is different now, and that makes life more relaxed.

“We enjoy our family more, the kids, being able to come to training, being able to go to the games, spending much more time at home, coming home and not thinking so much about football, but thinking more about other things.

“And that, whether you like it or not, makes you live differently because it often happened to me that the results and the day-to-day grind would get to me, and well, sometimes I’d come home in a bad mood, and it was different. So we’re good here.”

Those attracted by the lifestyle are also warned about the league’s demands. “It may not seem like it, but teams run a lot,” the Argentine has warned in the past. Andrea Pirlo recalled his own adjustment: “It’s a very hard league to play in,” the cerebral Italian fretted. “It’s very physical, there’s a lot of running. So there is a lot of physical work and to me, in my mind, too little play.”

Casemiro’s career has been played out under intense scrutiny. A former São Paulo academy graduate, he made 336 appearances for Real Madrid before joining Manchester United in 2022. Now into his mid-30s and with family commitments, the pull of a less pressured routine is understandable.

United boss Michael Carrick remains optimistic about his club form. “I’m sure he can,” the retired midfielder insisted, “he’s playing as good a level as he’s played at for some time at the moment, and it’s great to see in so many ways.

“The experience, technically, game understanding, just composure in certain moments, he’s in a really good place.

Thomas Müller has confirmed he seriously considered a move to Manchester United in 2014 after receiving what he described as an “interesting” offer at a moment he judged to be right in his career.

“There was a moment, because Louis van Gaal, my most influential coach, was at United and I thought about it, to be honest,” Müller said when he was shown a 2014–15 Manchester United shirt during an appearance on the Away Days YouTube channel. At the time Bayern Munich would not entertain a departure and Müller remained at the club.

Müller had previously come close to leaving Bayern before his breakthrough, nearly joining Hoffenheim in search of regular first-team football until Hermann Gerland intervened. Louis van Gaal’s return to Munich in 2009 had already helped establish Müller as a key figure, while colleagues such as Bastian Schweinsteiger, Philipp Lahm and Holger Badstuber were also reshaped in that era.

“It was an interesting offer [from United] and was the right moment,” Müller reflected. “But I had three years [on my] contract and Bayern denied [a transfer] from the beginning.

“That was also a good feeling for me, that Bayern said, ‘No, we want to keep you any way, no chance to leave.’ Then, I extended my contract and I was happy at Bayern. There was no decision [to make] about not feeling good at Bayern, but it was a nice offer and with Louis van Gaal as a coach, interesting for me.”

By the end of 2013–14 Müller had made 256 appearances for Bayern, scoring 99 goals and collecting 11 trophies including the Champions League within the 2012–13 treble. Manchester United were only a year removed from their last Premier League title but had finished seventh under David Moyes.

In later interviews Müller acknowledged United had tried to sign him “many times.” Louis van Gaal has said efforts were made in 2014 and 2015, with reports of a £70 million proposal and claims from Karl-Heinz Rummenigge that United had tabled a ‘‘mad offer’’. Van Gaal has suggested family hesitancy affected negotiations.

Müller left Bayern the following year and said bluntly: “I’m not the right guy for them and they are not the right club for me,” before joining Major League Soccer. He signed for the Vancouver Whitecaps towards the end of the 2025 regular season and helped them to a second-place Western Conference finish and an MLS Cup final. “Very intense,” he said. “I joined the Whitecaps in August, so I had a crazy four months, right before the playoffs started. We had a good run, the deepest playoff run in the history of the club.”

Major League Soccer has been mooted as a compelling alternative to a move to Saudi Arabia for Mohamed Salah, with a Liverpool correspondent suggesting North America could now appeal more. “The MLS is another possible destination for him,” Pearce said on The Athletic’s Walk On podcast. “It’s been suggested to me that actually is more appealing in many ways than the Saudi Pro League.”

That view sits alongside clear reasons why an exit from Liverpool could come sooner rather than later. In stark contrast to three games on the bench prompting his December outburst directly at Liverpool and Slot, Salah has started every fixture since AFCON. He still has another year to run on the contract he signed last April, but age, reduced output, a high salary and the natural evolution of the team around him are cited as factors that could make a move plausible in the months ahead.

Saudi Arabia remains an option and the financial gulf is clear, although Lionel Messi’s $20.45 million salary is proof there is still big money to be made in America. Messi’s decision to choose MLS in 2023 and the lifestyle comments from him and Antonela Roccuzzo are used as context for why the United States could attract big names. “I think it’s a very dynamic and physical league where teams want to score and play on the attack,” the Argentine told Apple TV in 2025. “There are a lot of back-and-forth matches, and it’s a bit related to the country we’re in and the sports they’re used to, where there’s usually a lot of showmanship, a lot of points, a lot of attacking plays. The league has grown and continues to grow, and I’m sure this won’t stop.”

Egypt’s qualification for the 2026 World Cup gives Salah direct exposure to the United States and Canada, with The Pharaohs due to play in Seattle and Vancouver, and he could link up with an MLS club after his involvement in the tournament some time in July. Not every MLS side can pursue him; Inter Miami lack Designated Player capacity, while the most frequently linked candidates are Chicago Fire and San Diego FC. San Diego is backed by Egyptian-born billionaire Mohamed Mansour, and owner wealth remains an advantage, as is the case with Jorge Mas in Miami.