Bruno Fernandes Receives Saudi Arabia Transfer Encouragement From Teammate

Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has been heavily linked with a lucrative move to Al Hilal.

Bruno Fernandes has multiple offers to mull over. | IMAGO/Ricardo Larreina Amador

Al Hilal’s Portuguese midfielder Rúben Neves is fully in favour of his compatriot Bruno Fernandes joining him in Saudi Arabia this summer amid growing talk of a potential exit for the Manchester United captain.

Rumours of Fernandes’s Mancunian farewell have bubbled away throughout the second half of the season. After spurious whispers about a move to Real Madrid, there has been increasingly concrete reports surrounding a lucrative transfer to Saudi Pro League giants Al Hilal.

United manager Ruben Amorim is naturally opposed to losing his best player, although Fernandes’s stance on the matter is not so clear. Neves is certainly fully behind a Portuguese reunion in Riyadh.

While on international duty ahead of Portugal’s UEFA Nations League semi-final against Germany on Wednesday, Neves was asked whether he would put in a good word for his countryman. “I recommend all the national team players, of course,” the former Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder sniffed.

“Fortunately, Portugal has produced a lot of talent and continues to do so. We are a lucky country in that respect. Very hard-working, too. A very small country but one that has produced excellent players. Just yesterday we saw four of our players [Gonçalo Ramos, João Neves, Nuno Mendes and Vitinha] lift the Champions League. It is an excellent sign for Portugal. I would like to have any player from the national team on my team.”

Fernandes’s agent has reportedly been spotted in negotiations with Al Hilal, discussing a move which could supposedly bank his client £1 million ($1.4 million) per week and earn Manchester United a much-need £100 million ($135.4 million) transfer fee.

As Amorim has repeatedly stressed, letting the team’s undisputed talisman leave after enduring the club’s worst season in Premier League history is not a natural avenue for success. However, given the limited funds available without any European football, United may not be in a position to turn down a nine-digit sum for a player who turns 31 in September.

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