Liverpool have reportedly made a £54million bid for Sporting Lisbon attacking midfielder Bruno Fernandes.
The Reds have long been linked with the Portugal international after his tremendous record of 28 goals and 14 assists in the 2018/19 season, and it looks like he may finally be closer to completing a move to Anfield.
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Manchester United, Manchester City and Tottenham have also all been linked with Fernandes, but it seems Liverpool have always been in the driving seat for the deal.
As explained in a detailed account from a reliable source below (with key points taken from a lengthy thread), it’s claimed Liverpool were set to bid £54m for the 24-year-old yesterday evening, and that that offer would be accepted.
Have a few final updates on Bruno Fernandes. Before I begin I want to apologise for getting some of my information wrong. One of the most bizarre transfer stories in recent memory in a lot of ways. Misjudged the timing of the deal.
— JurgenHead (@JurgenHead) June 30, 2019
It's thought that if Liverpool reduced their asking price for Camacho by around £2.25m, Sporting would then go ahead and reject the first bid for Fernandes, and pay the £4.5m clause as an added bonus to the player to sweeten the transition.
— JurgenHead (@JurgenHead) June 30, 2019
Fernandes has now concluded his short trip to Dubai. He's expected to finalise his contract over the next coming days, the terms in which have improved since United's involvement. Liverpool will submit a final bid of around £54m plus add-ons this evening, which will be accepted.
— JurgenHead (@JurgenHead) June 30, 2019
This has now passed and it’s expected that Fernandes himself will now finalise his contract and complete the move after he returns from holiday.
This latest report also follows the player himself hinting to a fan that he’d choose LFC this summer and that he was hopeful of the deal being done.
It remains to be seen precisely how reliable this Twitter user is, but the level of detail in his report suggests he must know something and have contacts with a good understanding of the situation.
It’s also been widely reported that Liverpool will only splash the cash on the right players this summer, and Fernandes looks an ideal fit for Jurgen Klopp’s side, possibly as an upgrade on the disappointing Naby Keita.