Manchester United’s chances of signing Bruno Fernandes in time for him to make his debut against Liverpool in a crunch Premier League clash this weekend have hit a snag – because Sporting Lisbon want to keep him for their derby against Benfica.
The Red Devils take on arch-rivals Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday (4.30pm) as the only English top-flight team so far this season to take points off the Merseyside outfit.
The 1-1 Old Trafford draw between the two north west teams in October is the only game of 21 that Liverpool have not won in the Premier League this season.
And Ole Gunnar Solskjaer takes his team to the home of the league leaders looking to bring an end to an unbeaten run that has now spanned 38 matches across this season and last.
United are 27 points adrift of Liverpool but there was some hope they would make the short trip across the M62 with a new recruit in their ranks.
Solskjaer is keen to land Sporting Lisbon midfielder Bruno Fernandes, who would pose a fresh threat to Liverpool’s currently-impervious defence having scored 13 goals and laid on 13 assists this season to add to 32 goals and 18 assists last year.
The Portugal international is likely to set United back around £65million if they can agree a deal to bring him to England, both the Manchester club and Tottenham having failed to do so in the summer.
United only have two-and-a-half weeks to strike a deal with the January transfer window shutting at 11pm on January 31.
But their hopes of getting Fernandes in through the door quickly, and possibly in time to face Liverpool this weekend, have hit a snag.
That’s because transfer insider Duncan Castles, of the Reach PLC Transfer Window Podcast, reports that Sporting are keen to keep their skipper for their visit of neighbours Benfica on Friday night (9.15pm).
That would therefore make it until Saturday at the earliest that United could fly Fernandes to Manchester and have him complete the formalities of a move to the Premier League, with the trip to Liverpool coming just 24 hours later and making it extremely unlikely he would be in the 18-man squad headed to Merseyside.
Though that would also require United to make major progress in negotiations, having yet to officially table a bid for their target, although Castles claimed last week on the Transfer Window Podcast that an offer is imminent.
“People near Fernandes are briefing that they expect an offer to come from Manchester United in this window,” he said.
“In fact there is a briefing that they expect it to come by next week.
“We go back to speculations and we do go and watch games all the time,” the Norwegian said.
“When I’ve been and where I’ve been is irrelevant. [Fernandes] is another player in a different club I can’t speak about.
“We’ve still got the same thoughts we had a month ago.
“We’ve got the players we have, working with the ones we have and if something happens we’ll tell you. I can’t say yes or no but wouldn’t expect many ins and outs.”
Asked about a winter move for the 24-year-old since then, Solskjaer said: “Bruno Fernandes? I can’t talk about individuals that play for other clubs, but I’ve got to say I do have the backing.
“We do have the backing to do something if the right thing comes up in this window. The owners and Ed, they know what we’re building towards.”
Fernandes would be Solskjaer’s fourth signing as United boss after Daniel James, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Harry Maguire.
Before facing Liverpool, United return to action against Wolves in an FA Cup third-round replay at Old Trafford on Wednesday night (7.45pm).