Esteve Calzada Al-Hilal
Image Credits: Getty Images
Manchester United have been able to breathe a sign of relief as Bruno Fernandes is set to remain at Old Trafford despite an aggressive pursuit from Al-Hilal.
The Saudi Pro League side have been pushing to sign top talent ahead of the Club World Cup, and despite appointing Simone Inzaghi as their new manager, haven’t been able to make any new signings.
Reports over recent weeks have suggested that Al-Hilal offered a massive £300 million deal to see Fernandes leave his role as captain of United, and move to Saudi Arabia.
The move would have seen United pick up a £100 million transfer fee, with Fernandes netting £200 million in wages, earning £700,000 per week.
Despite his agent meeting with Al-Hilal representatives in Riyadh, Fernandes rejected the move, opting to remain at Old Trafford.
Now, for the first time since links with Fernandes emerged, Al-Hilal’s chief executive officer Esteve Calzada has spoken out.
Whilst in Miami for the Club World Cup fixture against Real Madrid, the Al-Hilal chief responded to the links with Fernandes and told BBC Sport: “I cannot confirm nor deny that we’ve been interested in him.”
He continued: “He’s a big player, it fits the profile of player that we think would be good for Al-Hilal, just like many others. We’re not refraining from contacting players because we feel they would say no to us.
“The names we are linked with demonstrate the ambition of the club. We believe that we are in a position to pitch [to] any players nowadays.”
The Saudi side have since also tried to sign Manchester United target Victor Osimhen, with the striker also turning down a mega-money offer.
Speaking about their drive to sign the world’s top talent, Calzada commented: “We are targeting the biggest players. We are very ambitious, but we need to see hunger from the player himself and the transaction needs to work out both ways.”
He continued: “The only thing we’ve been trying to remind players and agents is that yes, we are from Saudi, but we don’t print notes here!
“My role as CEO is to make sure we run the club efficiently, so that we can have the biggest budget possible to have big players, but not at any cost.
“That’s why sometimes we basically walk away from negotiations, because we still want players extremely keen on coming, and not only looking for the money.”
CLICK HERE TO JOIN THE CENTREDEVILS WHATSAPP GROUP CHAT NOW!