Manchester United has been told to cash in on Bruno Fernandes in order to fund a squad rebuild after a diabolical season.
The Red Devils finished the league campaign in 15th position, 12 months after recording their previous lowest-ever Premier League finish when they ended the 2023-24 season in eighth under Erik ten Hag.
Fernandes — who was involved in a Nations League flashpoint with Florian Wirtz this week — was United's standout player over the course of a dismal 2024-25 campaign, and his high profile led to links with Al Hilal in recent weeks, after it became apparent that Mohamed Salah would not be joining the Saudi Pro League club.
Ultimately, the Portugal international turned down a move to Saudi Arabia, but Heskey believes it would have been the right move from a United point of view.
“If I was Manchester United – I would take that type of money being talked about for Bruno Fernandes,” Heskey told Poker Scout. “I know it’s come out that he has rejected the move to Saudi Arabia, but that fee would be tough to reject for them.
“That would allow them to fully buy in and build around the style that Ruben Amorim wants. They have a large sum of money to then choose players that fit the direction the club wants to go in. I’m not sure if Amorim wants to build the team around Bruno.”
Fernandes confirmed earlier this week that he had held talks with Al Hilal, before ultimately deciding he wants to continue his top-level career in Europe for some time yet.
Former Liverpool star Emile Heskey
Former Liverpool star Emile Heskey (Image: Joe Prior/Visionhaus via Getty Images)
"The president of Al Hilal called me a month ago to ask about the possibility of me moving there," Fernandes told a press conference. "I had to wait a while to think about the future. As I've always said, I would be willing to do it if United thought it was best to move on.
"I spoke with Ruben Amorim, who really tried to talk me out of it. I spoke to the club, who said they weren't willing to sell me, only if I wanted to leave.
"From my side, it was a very ambitious proposal, the president was a fantastic person. I never talked about the money, it ended up coming up later, with my agent.
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"I had to make the decision as a family and understand what I wanted for my future. That was the question my wife asked, what my professional goals would be. At no point did she say yes or no, she always supported me and put my professional side first.
"It was an easy move, even at a family level. I had Ruben Neves, Joao Cancelo. My children are used to playing with theirs. But I simply want to stay at the highest level, playing in the big competitions, because I still feel capable of that.
"I want to continue to be happy and do what I love most. I'm still very passionate about this sport. It's my way of seeing football and I'm happy with my decision."