It’s been well documented that, while Manchester United’s 15th-place finish in the 2024/25 Premier League season was an unmitigated shambles, the club would surely be in an even worse situation without the repeated heroics of Bruno Fernandes.
Yet Red Devils fans could see their club servant depart this summer. A big-money move from Saudi Arabia put the midfielder’s future at the club in serious doubt and there is still uncertainty over his future.
United’s decision-makers were left to weigh up Fernandes’s importance to the club’s short-term fortunes alongside their long-term plans, and what such a massive injection of cash would do for a club under some notable financial constraints.
However, Fernandes moved swiftly to take the decision out of their hands.
The Sporting News brings you what we know about the numbers behind Al Hilal’s reported approach for Fernandes, and what happens next.
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Bruno Fernandes rejects Al Hilal: Salary he turned down and the money Man United could have made
According to Sky Sports, Al Hilal offered to “almost treble” Fernandes’s Manchester United salary, which sits at £250,000 ($338,620 / €296,000) per week.
That comes in at around £700,000 ($947,000 / €830,000) per week over the three-year offer if Fernandes were to make the move.
They also reported, alongside ESPN, that the PIF-funded club was willing to pay a £100 million ($135.5m / €118.5m) transfer fee to secure Fernandes’ arrival.
The midfielder’s contract at Old Trafford expires in two years, so now would be the time for United to sell if they are hoping to get a significant fee for the 30-year-old.
Will Bruno Fernandes leave Man United?
On Tuesday, June 3, multiple outlets — including BBC Sport — reported that Fernandes had rejected the move to Al Hilal.
After spending “the past few days considering the deal” and discussing the prospect of the switch with his family, the playmaker told the Saudi Pro League club he would not be coming.
Transfers expert Fabrizio Romano tweeted that Fernandes “wants to play at the top level in Europe”, which doesn’t necessarily rule out a move to another club on the continent, especially given United missed out on European football for the 2025/26 season. A sale would allow United to attempt significant moves in the transfer window and make the balance sheet look somewhat healthier.
While it would be difficult to swallow in the short term, given how vital Fernandes has been to a squad otherwise bereft of top-level talent, quality reinvestment would be a good step in the right direction for the long-term fortunes of the club.
Fans will undoubtedly have reservations about the United’s ability to reinvest that money properly, given the miserly tendencies of the new ownership group and the significant number of big-money transfer misses over the past few seasons.
After already securing Wolves forward Matheus Cunha, United are reportedly pushing on with efforts to sign Brentford’s prolific right-winger Bryan Mbeumo.
