Bruno Fernandes on rejecting Al Hilal to stay at Manchester United: ‘I want to stay at the highest level’

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Bruno Fernandes says he is “happy” with his decision to stay at Manchester United following a lucrative offer to leave the club from Saudi Arabia.

The Athletic reported on Friday that, Fernandes, 30, was giving serious consideration to an approach from Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal.

Fernandes’ agent had flown to Saudi Arabia for negotiations and according to sources with knowledge of the situation, speaking on the condition of anonymity, the proposal was for four years on €25million a year net, equivalent to triple his current salary, while Al Hilal were said to be prepared to pay United £80m.

However, Fernandes has opted to remain at Old Trafford after talks with head coach Ruben Amorim and his family.

“There was that possibility, the president of Al Hilal called me a month ago to ask,” he said at a press conference while on international duty with Portugal.

“There was a waiting period on my part to think about what the future would hold. I would be open to it, if Manchester United felt it was my time. I spoke with Mister Ruben Amorim, who really tried to talk me out of it. I spoke with the club, which wasn’t willing to sell, only if I truly wanted to leave. We never talked about money; that was all handled by my agent, not me.

“I spoke with my family to understand if that was what I wanted for my future. It was actually my wife who asked me — I never said yes or no. She put my professional priorities ahead of everything else.

“It would have been an easy move. I had Ruben Neves and Joao Cancelo there, two people I have a great friendship with. But I want to stay at the highest level, play in big competitions, because I still feel capable. I want to keep being happy, I’m still very passionate about this sport, and I’m happy with my decision.”

Amorim said after United’s 3-1 victory over Hong Kong in Friday’s post-season friendly that he did not believe that Fernandes would be departing the club.

“I don’t think so,” he said when asked about the possibility of his captain leaving.

“(Fernandes) is seeing us changing some actions to change all the things and I think he wants to stay. He is saying no to a lot of things. But he shows that he wants to win. He is really hungry. He is really good. He needs to be in the best league in the world.”

Fernandes finished the 2024-25 campaign as United’s top scorer with 19 goals in 53 appearances across all competitions.

The midfielder was instrumental in United’s run to the Europa League final, scoring seven goals in the competition, including two in the dramatic quarter-final victory over Lyon.

Speaking after the Europa League final defeat to Tottenham Hotspur, Fernandes said he intended to stay at United but understood if the club wanted to “cash in” on him.

“I’ve always said I will be here until the club says to me that it’s time to go,” he said. “I’m eager to do more, to be able to bring the club to great days.

“In the day that the club thinks that I’m too much or it’s time to part ways, football is like this, you never know it.

“If the club thinks it’s time to part ways because they want to do some cash-in, football sometimes is like this.”

Fernandes’ United contract runs until 2027 with the option of a further 12 months after signing an extension last August.

The Athletic reported in May 2024 United had met Fernandes to discuss his future, and it was underlined that the INEOS-led regime intended to continue building around the Portugal international. He had been seeking clarity on United’s direction and whether their ambition matched his.

United experienced another disappointing campaign and finished the season with their lowest points haul and lowest position of the Premier League era. Defeat in the Europa League final also ensured United missed out on Champions League qualification, contributing to United’s increasingly difficult financial position.

Fernandes was signed from Sporting CP in January 2020 and has won the FA Cup and League Cup during his five and a half years in Manchester. He has made 290 appearances for the club, scoring 98 goals and providing 86 assists.

What Fernandes staying could mean to Man Utd

Amorim’s feeling that Fernandes wanted to stay has proved to be accurate, even though United’s captain was giving Al Hilal’s offer serious thought. After further talks with Fernandes’ agent in Riyadh, the Saudi Arabian club were, according to sources, willing to up their salary offer to €35m per year net, effectively £565,000 per week after tax.

Having started out by suggesting a bid of £80million would be made to United, the figure projected rose to £100m.

United, it must be said, received no direct communication on these numbers and there was some scepticism within Old Trafford that such mega money would come to fruition. Nevertheless, the prospect of a huge injection of cash for a 30-year-old prompted some internal discussion. Had Fernandes chosen to push for a move, there could have been valid arguments made for accepting an enormous bid and reinvesting it in multiple players.

The importance of Fernandes to the team cannot be understated, however. His goals and assists in all competitions this season effectively turned eight defeats into wins. He scored 19 goals in 57 games, the most of any player in the squad by eight, with Alejandro Garnacho and Amad next on 11.

Then there is the Fernandes impact that cannot be measured by statistics, the soft skills he exhibits around the team hotel or training ground, bringing teammates onside, making fans feel welcome, encouraging staff members. That quality is invaluable, and losing that would have chipped away at United’s heart. Plus, there would be no guarantee United would bring in the right replacements.

Fernandes staying does throw up an interesting conundrum on positions in Amorim’s system. Matheus Cunha is earmarked for the left No. 10, while Bryan Mbeumo is a fit on the right side should United manage to agree a fee with Brentford. Fernandes has played deeper recently, and rotation is a gift United have been deprived of for much of the last two seasons, but given the absence of European football there will not be as many games to keep players satisfied. It is perhaps telling how Amorim selected Amad as right wing-back for both matches on tour.

There is an ironic consequence of Fernandes’ call. Al Hilal are said to now be determined to push through their other marquee target Victor Osimhen, who has been discussed at United. They are able to offer a higher salary than previously due to extra cash reallocated from Fernandes, meaning United face an even bigger uphill task should they choose to pursue a deal.

(Carl Recine/Getty Images)

This news was originally published on this post .

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