Bruno Fernandes has broken his silence on why he turned down a mega-money offer from Saudi Arabia.
Al-Hilal made the Manchester United captain their priority signing ahead of the upcoming Club World Cup and were prepared to offer the Portuguese midfielder a tax-free contract in the region of £700,000-a-week plus bonuses, treble his weekly earnings in England.
Manchester United would also have been in line for a fee of around £100million had Fernandes given the green light to Saudi.
Mail Sport revealed that Fernandes’ agent, Miguel Pinho, spent three days at the Four Seasons hotel in Riyadh last week, where he held face-to-face talks with club officials.
However, news broke on Tuesday morning claim that Fernandes came to a decision over his future and rejected the proposal from the Saudi giants.
And, now, the midfielder has revealed why he opted to stay in England – at least for now.
Bruno Fernandes has broken his silence on why he rejected the chance to join Al Hilal and leave Manchester United
Al-Hilal wanted to have a marquee player ready for the Club World Cup later this month
The Red Devils captain, though, opted to stay with his current club instead of move, however
‘The president of Al Hilal called me a month ago to ask me about it,’ he said.
‘There was a waiting period for me to think about the future. As I have always said, I would be willing to do it if Manchester United thought so.
‘I spoke to coach Ruben Amorim who, throughout that period, was very annoying to me not to go! The club said they would not be willing to sell me, only if I wanted to leave, that it was not a financial issue.’
The detail that Fernandes is keen to play at the ‘top level in Europe’ could still spell trouble for United – who finished 15th in the league and lost the Europa League final.
Had they won that match, against Premier League rivals Tottenham, they would have qualified for the Champions League and been in good stead to keep Fernandes.
It remains to be seen which top European sides would be interested in Fernandes.
Al-Hilal were prepared to meet any financial demand that Fernandes wanted but his desire to stay at the highest level overruled all.
‘It was a very ambitious proposal,’ he added. ‘The president was a fantastic person. We never discussed the amount [initially]. With my agent? Of course.
Bruno Fernandes was spotted dining with Joao Cancelo at the Al Hilal star’s birthday party
Fernandes’ agent, Miguel Pinho (left), spent three days in Saudi last week to discuss a move
‘Then, I spoke to my wife and family, and she asked me what my personal goals were in my career. She was someone who always supported me a lot.
‘It was an easy move, even at a family level. I had Joao Cancelo there, my children are used to playing with him in the national team, we have a great friendship.
‘But I want to maintain myself at the highest level, playing in the big competitions. and I feel capable of it.’
Amorim has consistently maintained that Fernandes is central to his team and his plans as part of a rebuild this summer and that money can be raised through other means, namely the sales of Antony, Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Alejandro Garnacho.
Many United fans have been uncertain over Fernandes’ future given his recent social media activity and the fact the star was spotted alongside an Al-Hilal star.
The player himself was seen at Cancelo’s birthday party over the weekend, sharing a group meal to celebrate the former Manchester City star turning 31.
The two countrymen will both suit up for the Portuguese national team later this week, but the timing of this link-up only sent speculation soaring.
Fernandes’ appearance at the function also came shortly after a cryptic social media post which lead some fans into believing he would be on his way out of Old Trafford.
He shared an Instagram story on Saturday that read in his native Portuguese: ‘If you tried and failed, congratulations! There are people who don’t even try.’
Fernandes just recently jetted back from United’s miserable post-season tour in the Far East, where they limply lost in Malaysia against ASEAN All-Stars, in front of fans who had paid up to £260 to attend.
After the second game of their tour, in which they came back from a goal down to beat Hong Kong 3-1, Ruben Amorim insisted he does not believe Fernandes has played his last match for United.
The beleaguered boss said: ‘I don’t think so. I don’t know for sure. I think he wants to stay. He is saying no to a lot of things.
‘The club can find other ways to make money. The feeling I get is that he wants to continue for sure with Man United, you never know.’
United sources have re-iterated that they do not want to sell Fernandes, but the club are under even greater financial pressure after their defeat by Tottenham in the Europa League final cost them £100m in Champions League revenue.
Speaking after the final, Fernandes himself acknowledged the possibility of a summer exit.
He said defeatedly: ‘If the club thinks it’s time to part ways because they want to do some cashing in or whatever, it’s what it is. Football sometimes is like this.’
