Manchester United v Aston Villa - Premier League
Bruno Fernandes has been in electric form for Manchester United under Michael Carrick (Image: Getty)
Manchester United have changed their stance on Bruno Fernandes' future ahead of the summer transfer window. The captain's contract expires in less than 18 months' time at Old Trafford. And INEOS were prepared to sell Fernandes last summer when they received a £100million approach from Saudi Arabia for their talismanic playmaker. The Portugal international turns 32 later this year and United were willing to do a deal given they would have received a club-record fee for him.
But the player ultimately rejected the approach and chose to remain in England. In December, Fernandes admitted he was "hurt" and "sad" that the Red Devils considered an exit. He said: "I decided not to go, not only for family reasons but because I genuinely love the club." The 31-year-old has enjoyed an incredible season, scoring seven goals and providing 16 assists in just 27 Premier League games. And now, United are desperate to avoid losing their skipper at the end of this season and will do everything they can to keep him. The Daily Mail say United have directly told Fernandes that they will do their all to avoid him leaving. That marks a change from their stance a year ago, when they were willing to do business.
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There is a much more positive outlook at United under interim manager Michael Carrick, with Champions League qualification looking likely, and United's INEOS decision-makers unanimously want Fernandes to stay for a potential return to Europe's premier competition. Against Aston Villa he became just the third United player in the Premier League era to produce 100 goals and 100 assists across all competitions, after Ryan Giggs and Wayne Rooney.
But while United are eager to keep Fernandes whatever the cost, he still has a release clause in his current contract which leaves them potentially vulnerable. The clause allows a foreign club to snatch the player away from United for £57million.
The Saudis are expected to be interested in Fernandes again given they were ready to pay a £100m transfer fee a year ago. On top of that, they were ready to pay the attacking midfielder an incredible £700,000 a week to join his compatriot Cristiano Ronaldo in the Saudi Pro League.
The report adds that Fernandes will reevaluate his future after the World Cup in the US, Canada and Mexico. If he opts to stay, the Red Devils have the option to extend his current contract by a further 12 months until the summer of 2028.
Fernandes earns £290,000 a week currently at United, who are trying to bring their wage bill down. Casemiro, Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford's planned exits will contribute significantly to reducing their weekly outlay.
That means the captain could still be in line for a pay raise should he pen a new deal. It is uncertain whether Carrick will still be in charge next season, but the Englishman has made it clear he expects Fernandes to stay for the 2026-27 campaign regardless of who is in the dugout.
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Manchester United v Aston Villa - Premier League
Bruno Fernandes has been pivotal to Man Utd's Champions League push (Image: Getty)
"In terms of the club and moving forward, it's difficult for me to get involved in too much of that," he said. "Bruno's definitely not someone we'd want to lose, I can say that. He's important for us and he's definitely one we wouldn't want to lose.
"Bruno has done it for a long period of time now, in the big moments and making the difference, whether scoring or creating he's normally around it."
Fernandes is four assists shy of matching the Premier League single-season record of 20 held jointly by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne. Third-placed United have eight games still to play and take on Bournemouth next, away from home, on Friday night.
Carrick added: "I'd much rather the points and us win than that. So I don't think it's something you go chasing for, I think it happens naturally anyway, but yeah, if he does, then he's obviously created goals for us, so we'll be happy with that. I think he's important for us.
"He's playing in positions now where we need to find him and we need to supply him as much as we can for all the team to make the difference, but it's not just about Bruno. He's had some really important moments recently, but as a team, sharing that responsibility, so it's not always on one player, I think it's really important. And then it does make everyone else's job that little bit easier, so he's not taking everything on himself, which he shouldn't and he doesn't really for us."
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