Bruno Fernandes
Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes(Image: PA)
Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal have offered a huge sum for Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes, but he has reportedly rejected their £700k-per-week proposal and opted to stay in the Premier League - and some fans in the Manchester Evening News comments section reckon the club should stick with someone who's showing them loyalty and commitment in the face of a rich reward.
Al-Hilal were offering £100 million for Fernandes, which would have been a huge boon for Amorim as he aims to retool his squad and put a nightmare of a season behind him. The Portuguese international would have earned that much tax-free for himself over a supposed three-year contract, and could have been in place in time for the new-look, big-money Club World Cup.
After the disappointment of the Europa League final, Fernandes said that would leave if the club and the fans felt that it was time to close the chapter on his time at Old Trafford. But he is thought to have rejected Al-Hilal's offer, having settled in Manchester with his family and proven himself to be one of the best signings of the post-Ferguson era.
Sticking with Amorim and the club despite the wealth on offer in the Saudi Pro League is a great sign for some fans. Reader Nico747 says: "If this is accurate, I am impressed by his loyalty and commitment. If we are successful in buying Mbeumo, then Bruno moves back to CM. We will need to move on all the on-loan players, plus Garnacho. If they could engineer Garnacho to Napoli for Osimhen, possibly with Hojlund moving too then I would class this as a very good window.
"We can live with Onana for another season. As badly as we played this year we still had great opportunities in most games that would have moved us up significantly in the table if we had taken them. So, thank you Bruno, your commitment is laudable and deserves players that deserve it."
Commenter Pauldavid agrees: "If the reports are true, and Bruno wants to stay, then we should be grateful and happy. Yes, £100m would be a great boost to our rebuild. But Bruno is our captain and the beating heart of the team. The assumption that he can be easily replaced is horribly misguided. Sales of Rashford, Garnacho, Sancho and Antony should raise upwards of £130m, with the Rashford and Garnacho deals pure profit.
"The monies raised, and salaries off our books, including those of Eriksen, Lindelof and Evans, there would be enough funds to secure the signings we need from this transfer window. Cuhna is already secured and if Mbeumo can be added, we would already be a far more powerful attacking team. More so if Bruno is still around to provide the the ammunition."
IlSacristano adds: "I am glad if Bruno has decided to stay. He is a good captain and a decent footballer. I'm not sure it's in his own best interests as footballers' careers are short."
Others would have preferred to guarantee money in the bank for Amorim. Garth123 writes: "Thats not good news as Bruno needs to be sold to finance the rebuild. After positive news about Mbuemo last night, this is very disappointing as one cannot rebuild a team when you still have the main element hanging around. This will be the last chance of selling him before his value and most likely his performances start to decline."
TimeToShine says: "Bruno has played pretty much every minute of every game over the last 5 years. He's now 31 so something has got to give at sometime in the future, espcially with our naff medical team! I'd sell him. He'd be missed but there is a bigger picture we need to focus on."
Have your say! Are you glad to see a sign of commitment from the captain? Or would you prefer money in the bank for Amorim? Comment below, and join in on the conversation.