Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal want to sign Bruno Fernandes ahead of the Club World Cup and Manchester United are concerned their captain could now be heading for the exit door
Bruno Fernandes appears to have dropped a hint over his Manchester United future after posting a cryptic message on his Instagram story. The Portuguese attacking midfielder is understood to have been set a deadline by Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal, who are willing to pay huge cash to bring him to the Middle East ahead of the Club World Cup in the United States.
There have been strong suggestions in the past 24 hours that Fernandes has effectively been given a week to decide his future after Al Hilal tabled an eye-watering proposal worth a reported £200million over three years.
The Saudi club would also be willing to pay a significant fee, potentially worth up to £100m, to prise Fernandes away from Old Trafford even though Ruben Amorim wants to keep him at the club.
Fernandes posted a Portuguese quote on his social media account on Saturday afternoon amid the saga which translates to: “If you tried and failed, congratulations! There are people who don’t even try.”
The 31-year-old’s agent Miguel Pinho has been in Riyadh for talks with Al Hilal executives this week and there is now growing optimism that a deal could now be struck.
Fernandes has been away on United’s post-season tour of the Far East following the conclusion of their Premier League campaign and he featured in their 3-1 friendly victory over Hong Kong on Friday.
Speaking after the game, Red Devils boss Amorim made it clear that he didn’t think his captain had now played his final game for the club.
Amorim said: “I don’t think so. I don’t know for sure, nobody knows, but I don’t think so. I think he’s seeing us taking some actions to change things and that’s all he asks. I think he wants to stay. He is saying no to a lot of things, but that shows he wants to win. He’s really young, he’s really good, he needs to be in the best league in the world.”
Al Hilal are understood to have told Fernandes this is a one-time offer, despite the fact they’ve courted the player for the past few years.
The Portugal international wants to win trophies but United are expected to be operating with limited finances this summer after losing the Europa League final to Spurs and missing out on Champions League football.
United sources have repeatedly insisted that Fernandes is not for sale but if he pushes to quit Old Trafford, they will reluctantly have to accept the cash which would go a long way towards funding their rebuild.
