Manchester United face the possibility of a renewed transfer bid from Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal for captain Bruno Fernandes.
Al-Hilal tried to raid Man Utd for the Portugal playmaker during the transfer window that opened at the beginning of June, but while they fell short on that occasion, CEO Esteve Calzada refuses to rule out the possibility of a renewed bid to sign the player.
Caldaza suggests the Old Trafford star did not have his mind on his future at that point and even indicates that the chase to land Bruno could be a long-term goal for his side.
“Well, as I said, it’s better not to comment on specific players, but I can say that we have the budget for big names and big players, and we do not feel shy when we feel there’s a player that we want or feel like he might not be interested,” Calzada is quoted by saying by Sky Sports when asked if Al Hilal have the budget to sign Fernandes.
“So the ambition is certainly there and that means that we are allocating the budget to try to bring the biggest players possible. It just that we’re coming off a very particular transfer window that was a very short-term transfer window. And sometimes the players had a mindset of holidays.
“So sometimes you don’t want to do a transaction thinking about this tournament that then you have to carry on for the next two to three years. So any good player that fits in with our signing strategy, we will always try to think of him with us.”
Bruno has opened the door to a move
Al-Hilal were prepared to pay a reported €120 million to sign Bruno Fernandes and were even willing to treble his Manchester United wages to take him to Saudi Arabia, where he would join Portugal team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo, who is poised to sign a new deal with Al-Nassr.
The 30-year-old even suggested that he could leave this summer following the Europa League final loss to Tottenham Hotspur.
“I have always been honest. I’ve always said I will be here until the club says to me that it’s time to go,” he said.
“If the club thinks it’s time to part ways because they want to do some cashing in or whatever, it’s what it is, and football sometimes is like this.”
Man Utd have three good reasons to sell Bruno Fernandes, and though he’s rejected the possibility of a transfer once already this summer, a move should not be totally discounted at this early stage of the window.
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