Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has been told that he has until Friday to make a decision on whether he wants to join Al-Hilal.
The Saudi Pro League side have been negotiating with the player’s agent Miguel Pinho, and journalist Ben Jacobs says it’s now down to Fernandes and his family:
“Al-Hilal now believe an agreement with Bruno Fernandes is close after a week of positive meetings. Fernandes is currently deliberating with his family.”
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“A key factor in whether Fernandes agrees will be if the move is also right for his family. It will be more than just a football decision. Hilal want a final answer by Friday.”
Amorim has said that he wants to keep his captain
Speaking during the post-season tour of Asia, head coach Ruben Amorim made it crystal clear that he wanted to retain the services of Fernandes, stating that United should “find another way to earn money”.
A number of players are expected to leave Old Trafford this summer, including the likes of Marcus Rashford, Antony, Jadon Sancho and Alejandro Garnacho, but Amorim is keen to keep hold of the club’s player of the year.
Will United sell the player if Fernandes asks to leave?
Al-Hilal don’t believe the Red Devils will stand in the midfielder’s way if he does communicate to them that he would like to make the move to the Middle East.
It has been suggested that an offer between £80m and £100m could be tabled, and Ruben Amorim’s side may be tempted to sell and use the funds to finance the rebuild of the squad. The lack of Champions League prize money means they have limited room for manoevre, especially after splashing out £62.5m on Matheus Cunha.
Read our article where we ask AI to list three realistic replacements for Bruno Fernandes – the results are somewhat surprising.