Manchester United are reportedly set to re-initiate their pursuit of Bruno Fernandes, with Sporting Lisbon open to selling the Portuguese international.
According to a report by Daily Mail, Manchester United are weighing up a move to sign Bruno Fernandes in the January transfer window. Sporting Lisbon are open to cashing in on the Portuguese international, who is valued at £65 million, in order to clear mounting debts.
Bruno Fernandes was one of the hottest properties in the summer transfer window, following a stunning 2018-19 season, wherein he was the most prolific midfielder in Europe. The 25-year-old was subsequently linked with a number of top clubs, with Manchester United, in particular reportedly spending all summer in his pursuit.
A move eventually failed to materialise, but the Sporting Lisbon captain has only gone from strength to strength. In 17 appearances across all competitions, Fernandes has a splendid return of 9 goals and 6 assists, making a direct contribution to a goal every 99 minutes. But, the player could be put on the transfer list by Sporting in January.
The Portuguese giants are crumbling under a mountain of debt, as per O Jogo, and might have to offload some of their players in order to raise money to clear some of that debt off. To that end, cashing in on Bruno Fernandes is reportedly the best way forward for Sporting, a decision that has piqued the interest of Manchester United.
Fernandes is precisely the kind of player who could have fit like a glove in the 4-2-3-1 formation that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has preferred for much of the season. Instead, Andreas Pereira has been a regular for Manchester United in the hole, only to struggle to make a sustained impact.
With Manchester United struggling for goals for large parts of the season to date, a prolific midfielder like Fernandes could go a long way in solving some of their problems. Furthermore, his creative nous could help take some of the burden off Paul Pogba in build-up play.
The 25-year-old is, thus, a viable target for Manchester United, who could get the best years of the Portuguese international’s career. But, in order to secure the services of the player, United will have to meet Sporting Lisbon’s £65 million valuation of their captain.
According to the report, the Red Devils could also face some competition in the form of Tottenham, who were another club that were interested in Fernandes last summer. It now remains to be seen if Manchester United are ready to splash £65 million to land the Portuguese midfielder in January, in a move that could help the fortunes of Sporting Lisbon considerably.
