Man United can green light £120m double exit after Bruno Fernandes's Al-Hilal rejection

Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has confirmed that he turned his nose up to a move to Al-Hilal in favour of continuing at the Red Devils.

At one stage, the Portugal international was said to be giving serious consideration to a transfer to the Saudi Pro League giants, who were prepared to make him one of the highest-paid players in the world.

However, Ruben Amorim publicly expressed confidence about Man United's chances of retaining their skipper's services, and Fernandes was inevitably questioned on the matter when he arrived for Portugal duty.

A couple of weeks after stating he would be prepared to leave if he felt he had overstayed his welcome, Fernandes revealed to journalists that he had decided to stay in Manchester following talks with Amorim.

"It would have been easy to move there [Al Hilal]. I know the Portuguese players there very well. But I want to play at the highest level and compete for major titles. I can do that, and I still want to," Fernandes told the media.

Fernandes 'rejected over £700,000 a week' to stay at Man United

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Sky Sports News claims that Al-Hilal were prepared to 'almost treble' Fernandes's current pay packet to an astounding £750,000 per week, and Man United could have pocketed £100m through their captain's sale.

However, having spoken at length with Amorim and his wife about the situation, the 30-year-old decided that he still has a lot to offer in Europe, adding: "I had to wait a while to think about the future. As I've always said, I would be willing to do it if United thought it was best to move on.

"I spoke with Ruben Amorim, who really tried to talk me out of it. I spoke to the club, who said they weren't willing to sell me, only if I wanted to leave. I had to make the decision as a family and understand what I wanted for my future.

"That was the question my wife asked, what my professional goals would be. At no point did she say yes or no, she always supported me and put my professional side first. I simply want to stay at the highest level, playing in the big competitions, because I still feel capable of that."

Fernandes travelled to international duty on the back of a sensational campaign in a disjointed Man United side, producing 19 goals and 19 assists in 57 games in all tournaments, but he could not prevent the Red Devils from suffering their worst-ever Premier League finish.

Fernandes staying at United could trigger home-grown exits

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Fernandes's statement that the club were not willing to sell him is particularly interesting, as it was alleged that Amorim and Sir Jim Ratcliffe could have come to blows over the saga, as the latter was supposedly keen to sell him to raise much-needed funds.

However, with Fernandes staying at the club, Matheus Cunha already confirmed to be joining and Bryan Mbeumo having his heart set on a move to Old Trafford too, Man United will be extremely well-stocked in the number 10 position.

While the Red Devils will therefore not be garnering £100m for Fernandes, the Portuguese playmaker staying could very well give Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo an extra incentive to leave.

The pair could have realistically expected more minutes in 2025-26 had Fernandes been seduced by Saudi Arabia, but their situations are now unlikely to improve, and the £50m-rated Garnacho apparently has eyes for one particular Premier League club.

Meanwhile, Mainoo is believed to be valued at around £70m by Old Trafford chiefs, who have so far failed to convince him to extend his contract beyond the summer of 2027.

Written by
Ben Knapton