Bruno Fernandes is on the brink of leaving Manchester United, with discussions between his camp and Al-Hilal heating up.
At the start of the week, Al-Hilal slapped a £300 million offer on the table for United’s captain, along with a 72 hour deadline for the midfielder to respond.
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The deal comprised of a £100 million transfer fee to The Red Devils, and the remaining £200 million making up Fernandes’ £700,000 per week contract.
The Portuguese star’s agent, Miguel Pinho, has recently been in Riyadh, meeting with Al-Hilal’s president with the two having “productive” talks.
On the back of these conversations, it was reported that Al-Hilal have given Fernandes one week to decide if he’s to join them.
It’s also understood that the contact between Pinho and Al-Hilal went far beyond just a meeting in a Riyadh hotel, as the agent was shown all aspects of the club in a bid to lure Fernandes to the Saudi Pro League.
Whilst Fernandes has commented on his desire to remain at Old Trafford, he has also voiced his willingness to respect the club’s decision to part ways if they feel it is the right time.
The club captain commented: “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 the great days.
“In 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.”
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If Bruno does leave this summer, replacing him is going to be a behemoth task, but a recent report suggests The Red Devils have already lined up a replacement.
According to Simon Mullock of Mirror, Manchester United are lining up Sporting Lisbon’s attacking midfielder Pedro Gonclaves as a replacement for Bruno Fernandes.
The report states that Fernandes’ sale would allow United to comfortably meet Sporting’s £70 million valuation of Gonçalves.
It is understood that the Reds have been tracking the 26-year-old Portuguese international for some time, with manager Ruben Amorim being a fan of the player.
In fact, it was Amorim who first spotted Pedro Gonçalves’ goal-scoring potential during a pre-season training camp in 2020.
Gonçalves repaid his then-manager’s faith by scoring 23 goals and providing four assists in 32 games, helping Sporting win the Portuguese title for the first time in 19 years.
It remains to be seen whether Fernandes will leave the club.
Manager Amorim has made it clear he does not want to lose his skipper, but the prospect of using the funds to help finance a rebuild has reportedly led his Old Trafford bosses to leave the decision up to Fernandes.
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