Manchester United have been told in no uncertain terms why they cannot afford to turn down a blockbuster offer for star player Bruno Fernandes after Paul Scholes criticised his role in the side, the confusion he brings and why the sale of the Portuguese is essential for their summer rebuilding programme.
The Portuguese midfielder has proved one of, if not the, best signing Manchester United have made in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era. With 184 goal contributions (98 scored, 86 assists) in his 290 appearances for the club, no other player has done as much as Fernandes to ensure the Red Devils have remained as competitive as possible during his five and a half year spell at Old Trafford.
However, while his standards have remained high, United’s as a whole have taken a severe downward trajectory and the club, who finished an embarrassing 15th in the Premier League this season, now faces arguably the most critical of summer rebuilds in their history.
And with the club having to also keep a careful eye on their spending to ensure they don’t fall foul of the Premier League’s strict Profit and Sustainability Rules, several tough decisions are likely to be needed this summer.
United have previously insisted club captain Fernandes is one player they simply cannot afford to sell, however. And while both Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ruben Amorim have publicly stated their desire to keep the former Sporting CP man at all costs, a new report has now revealed the player’s increasing temptation to accept a hugely lucrative offer to leave for Saudi Pro-League side Al-Hilal this summer.
Now, in an unexpected twist, Scholes has explained why United simply cannot afford to reject the apparent £100m on offer for the star, having surprisingly laid into the Portuguese during an appearance on Sky’s The Overlap.
“They are talking about £100m for him. Man Utd cannot say no to that,” Scholes began.
“I know he has been brilliant and carried the team on his back, but where does he actually play, and what is his position? Do you see him as a number 10? Do you see him as a holding midfielder?
“He almost confuses the whole system. I mean, he has been brilliant, don’t get me wrong. But when you’re getting £100m for him, you snap your hands and take it.”
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While United will undoubtedly face a tough decision over their captain should he personally push to make the move to Saudi Arabia, the decision, in many ways, could be made for them if the player himself makes it clear he wants to try a new adventure.
Speaking after the painful Europa League final defeat to Tottenham Hotspur 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.”
One of Fernandes’ representatives, Miguel Pinho, held discussions in Riyadh with Saudi dealmakers on Thursday night and perThe 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 fromThe 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.’
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Meanwhile, United are ready to firmly launch themselves back into the race to sign Benjamin Sesko after director of recruitment Christopher Vivell gave the deal his personal green light – but the Red Devils will need to fight off competition from a Premier League rival who are also now in talks over his signing from RB Leipzig.
United could also raise funds by selling off more unwanted players and reports in Germany claim former boss Erik ten Hag, due to take charge of Bayer Leverkusen after the exit of Xabi Alonso,wants to reunite with two United stars as part of a glitzy triple deal and with the Bundesliga side set to land a windfall by the sale of Florian Wirtz to Liverpool.
On the incoming front, United are steeling themselves for what has been described as a ‘financial test of nerves’ over the prospective signing of Bryan Mbeumo from Brentford and having learned the two major hurdles they must overcome before finalising a deal.
Bruno Fernandes’ Man Utd stats by numbers
Bruno Fernandes' career at Man Utd
Bruno Fernandes’ career at Man Utd