Manchester United will lodge a £65million offer for Bruno Fernandes after positive talks with Sporting Lisbon. The Portugal international is Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s top transfer target as he seeks an upgrade on both Jesse Lingard and Juan Mata.
United were backed to sign Fernandes in the summer but, despite constant speculation, the Sporting Lisbon star ended up staying put.
Now, however, they’ve revived their interest in the 25-year-old amid the struggles of Lingard and Mata in the No 10 role.
And United are set to launch an official offer for Fernandes in the hope they can snare the Portugal international this month.
The Red Devils had been hoping to sign the midfielder by including players as part of the operation.
But Sporting don’t want Marcos Rojo, Joel Pereira or Angel Gomes – with all three being offered.
United now have to meet Sporting’s demands by paying the £65m they’re looking for.
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And Romelu Lukaku cost United £75m when they raided Everton for the Belgium international in 2017.
Meanwhile, Sporting Lisbon manager Jorge Silas has admitted he’s unsure if Fernandes will play against Benfica on Friday night.
“I can’t guarantee any of these things because I don’t know,” Silas said when asked if he’d play.
“I’m already thinking about the game with Benfica and I’m thinking about using him [Bruno Fernandes].”
Silas then expressed a belief that Fernandes would benefit any top side in Europe.
“Bruno [Fernandes] is a huge player and all players like him have a lot of market,” he added.
“He’s a huge player.
“All players like Bruno always have a lot of market.
“We know that he’ll always be a much talked of player and sought by clubs as big as they say.
“I don’t like to think about that beforehand, but I’m starting to think of alternatives within our team if Bruno doesn’t stay with us.
“I hope that doesn’t happen. In Portugal, unfortunately, we can’t keep the best players for long. Bruno is the best player in the league.”