Al Nassr manager Jorge Jesus has confirmed that the Saudi club made an approach to sign Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes during this summer's window
Bruno Fernandes
Man Utd captain Bruno Fernandes turned down two offers from Saudi Arabia
(Image: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Jorge Jesus has admitted he failed in an attempt to sign Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes. The Portuguese midfielder was at the centre of an approach from Saudi champions Al-Hilal after suggesting he could leave Old Trafford at the end of last season.
Fernandes was given a ludicrous offer that would have seen him bank more than £60million-per-year, with the Red Devils offered £105m for his services.
However, despite revealing he had considered making the same move compatriot and former team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo made, he opted to remain with United. And now it has emerged that Ronaldo’s current employers, Al Nassr, also made a tentative approach to try and sign the 30-year-old.
Portuguese coach Jorge Jesus has confessed that he did hold talks with Fernandes, but was told that he wished to stay with Ruben Amorim. "I wanted to [sign him], but Bruno is determined to stay,” Jesus told Sport Informa.
“We already talked last year. This year I knew he had made the decision to continue with Amorim.
“He's in a league that they say is the best in the world, but I don't agree. For me, it's the Spanish league."
Fernandes will instead be the centrepoint of a United attacking spending spree that is set to eclipse £200m. Benjamin Sesko is set to be Amorim’s third recruit of the summer, joining from RB Leipzig in a deal worth £74m.
The Slovenian will join Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo who signed after big money deals from Wolves and Brentford respectively. And it’s business United needed to complete after scoring just 44 league goals in last season’s miserable domestic campaign.
The arrival of Sesko came after Fernandes made it clear that further improvements were needed. Speaking on their US tour, he said: “I don’t want to have a dig at anyone, but I think the club is doing the best they can in terms of all the financial situations they talk about.
Jorge Jesus has left Al-Hilal
Jorge Jesus admits he did reach out to Fernandes during the summer window
“I don’t know about it, I’m not involved in that. But obviously it was crystal clear we needed more competition for the players that were here.
“We needed more quality to get everyone to step up a bit more and to have more to do to get into the starting line-up. I think that’s what the club and the manager are trying to do and hopefully we can get one or two players more to help with that.”
On his own transfer saga, Fernandes hinted that United’s defiant stance ultimately made his mind up. He said: . "There was that possibility, the president of Al Hilal called me a month ago to ask me about it. There was a waiting period for me to think about the future.
"As I have always said, I would be willing to do it if Manchester United thought so. I spoke to coach Ruben Amorim who, throughout that period, was very annoying to me not to go. The club said they would not be willing to sell me, only if I wanted to leave."
United face Fiorentina at Old Trafford in their final pre-season game on Saturday, before their Premier League season kicks off when they face Arsenal on August 17.
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