After a tumultuous season that saw Manchester United record one of its worst Premier League finishes, crash out of the Champions League, gain a new owner in Jim Ratcliffe’s INEOS, and somehow manage to win the FA Cup. There has been a sense of change in the air going forward. Or, perhaps more aptly, a sense that the only way United can go forward is by starting over again.
As such, the club has leaked out that it is willing to hear transfer offers for (almost) every player in the team. There are three exceptions, according to sources, United’s three most promising young players – Kobbie Mainoo, Alejandro Garnacho, and Rasmus Hojlund.
If you talk to United fans, they would probably add Lisandro Martinez to that list, as the diminutive Argentinian is United’s best defender, and his return from long-term injury coincided with an uptick in defensive performances from the Red Devils.
But there is also the question of the captain, Bruno Fernandes. The Portuguese player is – by a considerable distance – United’s best signing of the post-Alex Ferguson era.
Since arriving in January 2020, he has scored 79 goals for United, added numerous assists, and has topped the Premier League charts for chances created in every season he has been at the club.
Opposition fans don’t like him, but just ask people who truly understand the game, such as Pep Guardiola, and they will tell you how brilliant Fernandes is.
Fernandes has suggested that he wants to stay at Old Trafford for life. In recent interviews, he has dropped hints that the idea the club might want to cash in on him is something of an affront.
He is concentrating on the European Championships at the moment, where the Portugal team is among the favorites in the outright football betting markets to win the tournament. But afterward, United fans will want his future sorted as quickly as possible.
Both Bayern Munich and Barcelona have been linked to Fernandes. And it is a measure of the player’s quality that he would improve both those great sides. In fact, that’s one of the most relevant things to know.
His creativity has been stunted by playing on a relatively average side, one that played without an experienced striker for much of last season. All of those chances he created for United would be gobbled up by players like Harry Kane.
You couldn’t blame him for at least being a little bit interested in a move to Bayern or Barcelona. He is 29 now, and a move away from United might be his best chance of winning a Champions League title.
But there is an issue with these transfer rumours – neither Barcelona nor Bayern have the funds to make a “big” offer. The former, in particular, is shying away from making him a galactico-style offer in a way similar to that of rivals Real Madrid.
But if the European giants can’t afford Fernandes, who could? And the answer seems to be Saudi Arabia. Reports suggest that Saudi Pro League team Al Nassr is preparing a bid in excess of $150 million to tempt United into selling the Portuguese star. The move would also reunite Fernandes with his Portuguese teammate, Cristiano Ronaldo.
But would he wish to go to Saudi at the prime of his career? This is an interesting conflict because United’s management has claimed it will countenance serious offers for anyone, and that kind of money is very serious.
In the end, it will remain to be seen what happens in the coming weeks. But United’s ownership is tasked with building rapport and trust with fans, and one would argue that selling the captain and best player would damage those efforts. He wants to stay; the fans want him to stay. But will a mega offer change that?
There is no doubt Fernandes is a world-class player. Even though he is a comparatively new player in comparison with others, his legacy so far is undebatable. Thanks to his immaculate skills, a number of clubs and teams across the leagues would be interested in buying him.
In this article, we discussed the same subject, but with deeper details. If you are a fan of football and are interested to know more about your ideals, keep reading our blogs. Also, share this write-up with your friends as well.
