As one of the players that has arguably been a major reason for Man United’s mid-season renaissance, the news that there are problems with Bruno Fernandes’ transfer to the Red Devils would normally ring alarm bells.
Fortunately for the Old Trafford outfit, the issue seems to be with Sporting Lisbon, who have been reported to FIFA by Fernandes’ former club, Sampdoria.
According to Italian news outlet Il Secolo XIX and cited by the Daily Star, Sampdoria are owed £4million from the transfer, but having not received it from Sporting, they’ve now alerted the governing body to the apparent oversight.
The Daily Star suggest that the issue has arisen because of United’s refusal to pay the total fee in one go. On the basis that it would be paid in equal installments, Sporting applied to take out a loan for the full amount, which would be covered by the installments as and when they were paid to them.
However, the coronavirus pandemic has hit everyone hard, and the unnamed bank that agreed to the transaction are now not in a position to lend the money, meaning that the Portuguese side find themselves with a huge shortfall having already agreed to United’s installment proposal.
Fernandes has settled into life in Manchester magnificently well, and has been a real driving force in the centre of the park.
Aside from scoring goals and providing assists, the Portuguese hasn’t been shy in demanding the very best from his team-mates, and for all intents and purposes he’s really plugged the gap that the absence of Paul Pogba left behind. Indeed, he’s made such an impression that losing the French World Cup winner arguably will no longer affect them.
If Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is able to bring in one or two more world class exponents, then there’s every reason to think that United could be challenging for the top honours again soon.