Despite insisting an exit from Manchester United would be driven by the club and not himself, Bruno Fernandes is now giving ‘serious’ consideration to securing a money-spinning switch to Al-Hilal that will smash transfer records.
Defeat in the Europa League final resigned Man Utd to arguably their worst season since suffering relegation in the 1973/74 campaign. Man Utd will not play European football next season and their finances have been crippled as a result.
The Red Devils are pressing ahead with the signing of Matheus Cunha for £62.5m. However, arrivals beyond the Brazilian are heavily dependant on securing significant fees in a plethora of player sales.
Man Utd will gladly wave goodbye to Alejandro Garnacho, Antony, Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford, to name just four. But by far the biggest and most lucrative fee would come from selling their captain.
Speaking after the European defeat to Tottenham last week, Fernandes strongly suggested he wants to stay at Man Utd where he remains under contract until 2027.
The Portuguese stated he would accept being sold if the club took that decision for purely financial reasons, though insisted any departure would be driven by the club and not himself.
“I have always been honest,” said the playmaker following Spurs loss. “If the club thinks it’s time to part ways because they want to do some cashing in or whatever, it’s what it is. Football sometimes is like this.
“I’ve always said I will be here until the club says to me that it’s time to go. I’m eager to do more, to be able to bring the club to the great days.
“The day that the club thinks that I’m too much or it’s time to part ways, football is like this, you never know it. But I’ve always said it and I keep my word in the same way.”
Numerous sources have stated Man Utd do NOT want to sell Fernandes. Nevertheless, that has not stopped Saudi Arabian side, Al-Hilal, from posing the question.
They are prepared to almost quadruple Fernandes’ net wages as part of a roughly £200m contract spread over three years.
Al-Hilal are fully prepared to bid £100m for Fernandes if given the green light from the player. A switch of that size would make Fernandes Man Utd’s most expensive transfer of all time, be that an arrival or exit.
United’s most expensive sale remains Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid for £80m. Their biggest signing is Paul Pogba via Juventus at £89.3m.
One of Fernandes’ representatives, Miguel Pinho, held discussions in Riyadh with Saudi dealmakers on Thursday night and per The Times, Al-Hilal want a decision made by the end of this weekend at the very latest.
The club’s intentions is to field Fernandes in the upcoming Club World Cup which gets underway on June 14.
And according to the latest from The Times, Fernandes is not as committed to continuing with Man Utd as first thought.
The report read: ‘Bruno Fernandes is giving serious thought to quitting Manchester United after his agent held positive talks with Al-Hilal over a deal that could end up earning him about £700,000 a week (net salary).
‘It is understood that Fernandes has been mulling over a proposal from the Saudi Pro League club this week during United’s post-season tour to Southeast Asia, which ends on Friday night when they take on a Hong Kong XI at their national stadium.’
What will Man Utd do, and what SHOULD Man Utd do?
If Fernandes does decide he’s given all he can to Man Utd and agrees personal terms with Al-Hilal, United will face an unenviable decision.
Fernandes is clearly the club’s best player and scooped the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year award for a record-equalling fourth time this season. Fernandes now sits alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and David de Gea who also won that award on four separate occasions.
Fernandes bagged 19 goals and 20 assists across all competitions this term and is one of very few players who do not shrink under the pressure of playing for Man Utd.
However, he is 30 years of age and will turn 31 within a month of next season getting underway. Turning down a £100m bid for a player in his thirties would be a monumental call for Man Utd to make.
Furthermore, for Amorim to truly shift his rebuild into top gear, vast sums must be recouped from player sales to go towards new recruits.
As mentioned, Fernandes is Man Utd’s most valuable asset and his departure would go further than anyone else’s to giving Amorim money to spend.
Another factor to consider is the length of time it will take for Man Utd to right their ship and begin to surge up the table.
A quick fix is not expected, and if United take two, three or even four years before they’re challenging for the Champions League places again, Fernandes’ prime will have come and gone by that time.
Of course, the flipside to all of those points is how far could Man Utd sink without their most effective player?
If the newly-promoted teams had put up a stronger fight this season, relegation might not have been out of the equation for Man Utd and that was with Fernandes in situ.
That is a conundrum Man Utd must wrestle with if Fernandes agrees personal terms with Al-Hilal and a record-breaking £100m bid quickly follows.
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