Manchester United may have a fight on their hands to keep hold of Bruno Fernandes based on what he said about Harry Kane joining Bayern Munich.
Bruno Fernandes rejected a Saudi move last summer in a huge show of loyalty to Manchester United, and he has continued to be linked with an exit as he approaches the final year of his contract.
Bayern Munich have shown interest in Fernandes, and there is a £57m release clause in Fernandes’ contract which allows him to leave for a non-English club.
Harry Kane was in a similar position at Tottenham a few years ago, when he faced a decision between staying loyal to Tottenham to become a club legend or leaving to join Bayern for silverware.
Bruno Fernandes prepares to take a corner during the FA Cup third-round match between Manchester United and Brighton at Old Trafford in 2026 in Manchester, England.
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In his six years as a United player, Bruno Fernandes has only lifted one FA Cup and one League Cup. Hardly a trophy haul that reflects his talent as a player.
Fernandes could follow in the footsteps of Kane and leave United in pursuit of more trophies if the Red Devils cannot compete for the Premier League or Champions League.
In an interview with The Times, Fernandes said: “If he [Kane] had stayed another one or two seasons, he’d have been the best goalscorer ever in the Premier League. So, would he have been a legend or not? He would.
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“He decided to go to Bayern and the decision is good because he knows he has a big chance of winning trophies.
“And now we’re talking about Harry Kane that is scoring the same amount of goals he was scoring at Tottenham, but he might win a Ballon d’Or now because he’s going to win trophies.”
What does Bruno Fernandes have to do in 2026 to challenge for the Ballon d’Or?
Win the World Cup? Win the Premier League POTY? Break the assist record?
Bruno Fernandes Ballon d'Or Talking points graphic.
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Bruno Fernandes can compete for his own Ballon d’Or
Fernandes is chasing the Premier League Player of the Season award in 2025/26, and he has proven that he can compete for the biggest individual awards, even if United are struggling.
Remarkably, Fernandes is in Ballon d’Or conversations, but the only thing letting him down is the lack of trophies he has won.
When speaking about Kane’s move to Bayern, Fernandes made it clear that he thought it was a “good decision” by the English striker to leave Tottenham.
READ MORE: Bruno Fernandes matches Cristiano Ronaldo as Man Utd star is one award away from Premier League immortality
That is a direct warning to Ineos that Fernandes will consider a move elsewhere to win trophies if United remain uncompetitive.
United fans will agree that Fernandes deserves to win the biggest trophies, and he should be challenging the likes of Kane for a Ballon d’Or. Hopefully that can happen at Old Trafford.
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