It will likely prove the shortest-lived transfer saga of the summer, and at the end of it all, everything stayed the same. Bruno Fernandes has seemingly committed his short-term future to Manchester United, having turned down the opportunity to play - and make millions - in Saudi Arabia.
United are said to have told Fernandes he was free to leave if he wanted, but despite the mooted £100million transfer fee, they weren’t desperate to sell. Given the Red Devils will go next season without European football of any kind, and the constant threat of PSR is lingering in the shadows, perhaps it will be a transfer United live to regret.
Fernandes himself could look back on the decision to stay at United, who finished 15th last season and only just reached the 40-point mark, given the riches that would’ve been on offer to him in the Saudi Pro League. It’s an opinion shared by Express Sport readers, with 65 per cent of those who voted in an online poll believing he ought to have called time on his five-year stint at Old Trafford.
On his reason for staying at United, Fernandes explained: “There was an opportunity. The [Al Hilal] president called me and asked if I wanted to go there. They were waiting for me.
"I spoke to coach Amorim. He asked me not to go. Manchester United didn’t want to sell me. They don’t need the money. If I had wanted to leave, they would have made it happen."
United fans are understandably breathing a sigh of relief that their talisman is sticking around for another season at least. It’s probably just as well, given 62 per cent of Express Sport readers were also in agreement that United’s chances of being relegated from the Premier League altogether would skyrocket if they started the 2025/26 campaign without Fernandes in their ranks.
United finished 17 points clear of the relegation zone in the Premier League, with all three promoted sides having been immediately sent back to the Championship at the first time of asking. Ruben Amorim will be demanding a major improvement from his side when the 2025/26 season gets underway, with United having already been active in the transfer window.
Matheus Cunha has put pen to paper on a deal, with Bryan Mbeumo also being targeted by the 20-time English champions. The transfer window remains open until Tuesday ahead of the Club World Cup, with it opening once again after the summer tournament has got underway later this month.