MANCHESTER UNITED look set to make a £55m deal for Sporting Lisbons’s Bruno Fernandes by the end of the week. Sporting have reportedly come to a compromise on the upfront amount for the 25-year-old midfielder. Losing Marcus Rashford to a double stress fracture to his back has forced the need for Red Devils manager Ole […]
MANCHESTER UNITED look set to make a £55m deal for Sporting Lisbons’s Bruno Fernandes by the end of the week.
Sporting have reportedly come to a compromise on the upfront amount for the 25-year-old midfielder.
Losing Marcus Rashford to a double stress fracture to his back has forced the need for Red Devils manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to speed up negotiations.
Rashford will stay on the sidelines for at least three months, meaning the Portugal international is very much sought after as the man to take his place.
Initially, United had put in a £40m bid for Fernandes which was rejected by Sporting.
However, they are now said to be ready to return with a bid of £46.78m, which could increase to £55m with add-ons.
Sporting were holding out for close to £60m for their captain, comprising of £51m plus £8.5m in add-ons.
But according to sources in Portugal, there will likely be a alternative compromise figure.
Despite facing financial challenges, Sporting have ensured that United do not get their most valuable player on the cheap.
Instead, Solskjaer has been forced to increase the bid.
Fernandes saw red at the end of Sporting’s 2-1 away defeat to Braga last night, in the semi-final of the Taca da liga.
A sequence of dramatic scenes followed the result– which consisted of two of Sporting’s players being sent off.
Immediately after the whistle, he headed straight down the tunnel without acknowledging his fans, despite the fact that it could have been his last game for the club.
The transfer target then appeared to argue with a policeman AND shoved a camera as he made his way down through the tunnel.
It is all hugely different to the Fernandes we saw just two weeks ago– as he made a kissing gesture to Sporting fans.
