Manchester United agree to sign Bruno Fernandes for €55 million
Manchester United are finally close to completing a deal for Sporting CP mid-fielder Bruno Fernandes in the ongoing January transfer window. According to reports, both the clubs have agreed to a deal of €55 million for the in-form mid-fielder. However, United might need to pay around €80 million, taking other clauses under consideration. Here are further details on this.
Deal expected to be closed by Friday
Now, that a deal has been reached, both the clubs would want to close it as soon as possible. According to Goal, the deal, along with the transfer, would certainly be completed before Friday's deadline, provided he passes the pre-club medical tests.
United to initially pay €50 million, others in add-on
As far as the buyout is concerned, it is being reported that as of now, United have agreed only to pay €50 million of the initial transfer fees. And, an additional amount of €10.5 million will be paid later as an add-on. However, it is yet unclear if United would be willing to match or pay the remaining €15 million of the deal.
What details do the add-ons include?
As for details regarding the add-ons, the deal includes winning the Ballon d'Or and the Premier League. However, Sporting are unhappy that the deal is still short of their valuation. Although Spanish champions Barcelona too displayed an interest in Fernandes, they backed out to focus on Valencia's Rodrigo Moreno. As of now, Fernandes would look to participate in Saturday's EPL tie against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Fernandes has had a fine career as mid-fielder
Fernandes has had a fine career as a mid-fielder, as of now. So far, he has scored 84 goals in 290 matches. His best stint came at Sporting, where he scored 64 goals in 137 appearances, with 2018-19 being his best season, scoring 33 off 53. Although he never won the Primeira Liga, he has won the Taça de Portugal and Taça da Liga.
How would Fernandes help United?
While Fernandes' transfer would come as welcome news for United fans, the author feels that he could really work out at the club. While, as he possesses the creative spark, his creativity could help United mid-fielders to become match scorers as well. Having scored over 45 goals in the last couple of seasons, a rare feat by mid-fielders, he could help United's counter-attacking system.
