Bruno Fernandes’ future at Manchester United remains in the balance but Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal are now confident of securing a deal for him.
Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has reportedly received a staggering offer from Saudi club Al-Hilal, which would see his weekly wages exceed £700,000.
On Thursday, it emerged that the player’s agent, Miguel Pinho, was in Riyadh for talks with Al-Hilal president Fahad bin Nafel. According to multiple reports, those discussions were positive, and Fernandes is now seriously weighing up a potential move to the Middle East.
Al-Hilal are believed to be ready to bid £80 million for the midfielder, with hopes of securing his signature ahead of the Club World Cup next month and fresh reports from the Telegraph have claimed that the Saudi side are confident of the move being completed.
Should the Portuguese international decide to leave, United would face the daunting task of finding a suitable replacement. While it would be difficult to replicate Fernandes’ influence with a single signing, the funds from his sale could be reinvested to strengthen multiple areas of the squad—provided the money is spent wisely.
Fernandes sends 10-word message to world-class star
While all of this transfer noise has been going on, Fernandes has played two post-season friendly games for United and has sent a supportive message to one of his teammates.
Leny Yoro has not played for United since the Europa League final defeat to Tottenham Hotspur. The Frenchman rushed back into action to try and help the Reds get over the line in Bilbao but it wasn’t to be.
Reflecting on the difficulties on his Instagram page, Yoro wrote: “Obstacles. Tears. Lessons. Growth. Thank you for always being there.”
Fernandes has previously labelled Yoro as a “world-class” talent and offered some more praise for Yoro in response to his social media post, assuring him that this is only the start of his journey.
“This is just the beginning of something for your future,” the club captain wrote.
The Reds signed Yoro last summer from Lille for around £50 million and he has proven to be a very talented defender during a difficult first season at Old Trafford.
United cannot just rely on Fernandes anymore
If more players like Yoro had been signed to United over recent years, there would be no doubts over Fernandes’ future. It is clear that he wants to stay and succeed at the club.
But the recruitment has not been good enough and he’s had to carry underperforming players too often.
Whether or not he ends up leaving or staying, United cannot move forward if they are relying on one player. You can see how much Fernandes appreciates the quality of someone like Yoro.
He does not want to be the main man. But he has been forced to be in recent years and that needs to change if United are going to improve next season.
Make sure to follow UtdDistrict on X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok to never miss out on any of our Manchester United content. Our podcast, What the Devil?, is streamed live every Thursday at 12:30 pm (BST) on the United View YouTube channel.