Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has been linked with another transfer to Saudi Arabia but this time to play with Cristiano Ronaldo
Bruno Fernandes and Cristiano Ronaldo pictured representing Portugal at this summer's Nations League
Bruno Fernandes and Cristiano Ronaldo pictured representing Portugal at this summer's Nations League
(Image: ANP via Getty Images)
Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has already explained that there is no bad blood between himself and Cristiano Ronaldo but a transfer to Al Nassr this summer does seem unlikely.
At the beginning of the summer window there was plenty of talk about Fernandes' future and his head potentially being turned by Al Hilal. This was prior to the Club World Cup when the Saudi club wanted to make a statement transfer.
After consulting his family, Fernandes decided not to move after conversations with Ruben Amorim. Shedding light on the situation he found himself in, the midfielder explained: "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." Fernandes then added: "It would have been easy to move there.
"I know the Portuguese players there very well. But I want to play at the highest level and compete for major titles."
Despite United having fended off interest from Al Hilal, Sky Sports understands their league rivals Al Nassr are not deterred and would like to reunite the midfielder with Ronaldo. Considering Fernandes' love for the Reds, there had been suggestions that their relationship had soured when the veteran Ronaldo forced his way out of the club with a damning interview.
However, the midfielder was quick to squash those rumours prior to the World Cup in Qatar insisting he 'respected' Ronaldo's decision even if he did not necessarily agree with it. More recently, Fernandes suggested that he was more than ready to help Ronaldo crown off his career with the World Cup next summer.
He did claim that he thought it was not a guarantee that Ronaldo would hang up his boots even if Portugal won the World Cup. "It wouldn't just be special for him but also for all of us, the Portuguese people, who want to give this joy to our country," Fernandes explained in January.
"As the ultimate reference of our football, the Selecao would probably be the best way for him to close his career." While there is clearly plenty of mutual respect between Fernandes and Ronaldo, it seems like we are still some way off the pair reuniting in the Middle East.
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