Sporting Lisbon president Frederico Varandas has sent a clear message over reported Man Utd target Bruno Fernandes, that he will not leave for the current touted fees.
The 24-year-old enjoyed a stellar campaign last season, as he bagged 32 goals and 18 assists in 53 appearances for the Portuguese giants, which was unsurprisingly enough to attract interest from elsewhere.
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As noted by The Sun on Monday, talk of an official £49m bid from Man Utd being launched has been touted in Portugal, as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer looks to strengthen his midfield options and perhaps add a little more technical quality and class on the ball to make his side a bigger attacking threat.
However, while it’s suggested in that report that Sporting want around £70m in order to green light an exit for Fernandes, their president has now backed that claim up by suggesting that the reported figures thus far are not going to be enough to convince them to let their biggest star leave this summer.
“I don’t know if there are many or if there are few [interested clubs],” Varandas told RTP. “What I know, a lot has been spoken of values, coming to the press, €55m, €62m… for that he doesn’t leave, for sure.
“If Bruno Fernandes leaves, players with quality will come. But if Bruno leaves.”
It’s added in the report from the Mirror that when asked if an official bid had been made for his prized asset, the Sporting chief responded with a flat “no”.
In turn, it remains to be seen if Man Utd decide to lodge a tangible bid for the Portuguese international or not, but following on from these latest comments, they’ll have a better idea of what amount will be enough to test their resolve and what is perhaps too low.
Given Ander Herrera left this summer after his contract expired, it would be no surprise if a midfielder arrives at Old Trafford in the coming weeks to join Daniel James and Aaron Wan-BIssaka as new signings ahead of the new campaign to give Solskjaer more quality and depth to try and compete on multiple fronts.
