Manchester United are bracing themselves for a bid from Real Madrid for Bruno Fernandes, with the Portugal international said to be open to returning to Spain
Manchester United gaffer Ruben Amorim is dead set on keeping skipper Bruno Fernandes at Old Trafford, even though Real Madrid are reportedly sniffing around the midfield maestro. Since signing from Sporting Lisbon in 2020, Fernandes has been nothing short of ace for United.
Bruno’s racked up a whopping 177 goal involvements in 277 outings for the Red Devils, banging in 12 goals and dishing out nine assists in just 27 matches under Amorim’s watch. But, according to the Daily Star, Real Madrid have got their eyes peeled on the 30-year-old dynamo.
The word is that Los Blancos have had their scouts at ‘virtually every United match recently’, keeping tabs on Fernandes, who they reckon could be the next Luka Modric, reports the Mirror.
READ MORE: Met Office report that UK will hotter than Ibiza for Mother’s Day due to ‘blocked weather pattern’
Despite Amorim’s keenness to keep his captain, it’s whispered that United might ‘consider a big offer’ due to the club’s money matters. “When we need it, he’s always there,” Amorim praised Fernandes after his hat-trick helped boot Real Sociedad out of the Europa League earlier this month.
“In the set-pieces, he can change position, he can bring the ball forward, he can score goals, he can make transitions, like he showed today in the last 10 minutes of the game. He can defend so it’s a perfect captain for our team, and we need to help him to win titles, because he deserves a lot.”
Man Utd bigwig Sir Jim Ratcliffe has come out swinging, admitting the squad’s got a few duds who are raking in too much dosh, but he’s adamant that star player Bruno is a must-keep. Chatting with the BBC, Ratcliffe didn’t mince his words: “If you look at the players we are buying this summer, that we didn’t buy, we’re buying Antony, we’re buying Casemiro, we’re buying Onana, we’re buying Hojlund, we’re buying Sancho.”
He laid it bare, saying, “These are all things from the past, whether we like it or not, we’ve inherited those things and have to sort that out. For Sancho, who now plays for Chelsea and we pay half his wages, we’re paying £17m to buy him in the summer.
“Some are not good enough and some probably are overpaid. But for us to mould the squad that we are fully responsible for, and accountable for, will take time. We’ve got this period of transformation where we move from the past to the future.”
Ratcliffe also sang praises for the current team, especially the skipper, calling him a top-notch player and doubling down on the need for Bruno, labelling him as a cracking footballer.
Bruno Fernandes himself spilled the beans back in August about signing a fresh contract, confessing he could’ve jumped ship from Old Trafford but chose to stay put because the club “showed that it needed me”.
He opened up about the behind-the-scenes action, saying, “The club was aware that there was a possibility of me leaving, I had concrete offers,” he disclosed. “But the club showed that it needed me, that it was at a time of change and that they wanted to do things differently.
“I believe there is a dream future at this club with the changes that are taking place. That’s why I chose to stay. There were other directions that would have been interesting for me, other expectations. But I feel good here, I feel loved and I feel that the club has been very respectful of me.”