The agent of Manchester United playmaker Bruno Fernandes has apparently held productive talks with Al-Hilal over a prospective move for his client.
The Portugal international was a shining light in an atrocious campaign for the Red Devils, managing 19 goals and 20 assists from 57 matches across all competitions for Ruben Amorim's team.
Despite Fernandes's best efforts, the Red Devils were condemned to their worst-ever Premier League finish and suffered further heartbreak on the continent with a 1-0 loss to Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League final.
As one of the only Man United players who could come out of the 2024-25 campaign with any credit, Fernandes's future has unsurprisingly been in the headlines amid reports of serious interest from Saudi Arabia.
The 30-year-old's teammates have supposedly pleaded with him to continue at the Theatre of Dreams, but according to Ben Jacobs, constructive talks have now taken place with Al-Hilal.
Al-Hilal make 'significant efforts' to strike Fernandes deal
© Imago
Fernandes's representative Miguel Pinho supposedly jetted off to the Middle East to speak with club president Fahad bin Nafel, and talks moved in a positive direction.
The Saudi giants supposedly gave Fernandes a 72-hour deadline in the week to make a final call on his future, but the former Sporting Lisbon man has not yet decided where his future lies.
Furthermore, Al-Hilal have not even tabled an official offer to Man United for the player's services, as they are currently pushing to get the thumbs-up from the 30-year-old himself.
The Saudi giants have made 'significant efforts' to lure Fernandes away from Manchester, and the Portugal international is apparently yet to turn down Al-Hilal's contract proposal.
Fernandes's deal with Man United runs for another two seasons, and the Red Devils skipper has produced a total of 98 goals and 87 assists in 290 competitive fixtures for the club since joining in 2020.
Could a Fernandes-Cristiano Ronaldo link-up be on the cards?
© Imago
Should Fernandes be seduced by the riches of Saudi Arabia, the 30-year-old would join a star-studded cast of players at Al-Hilal in Ruben Neves, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Aleksandar Mitrovic and Kalidou Koulibaly.
However, the biggest superstar may be yet to arrive, as Al-Hilal have been tipped to make an astonishing approach for Cristiano Ronaldo, whose Al-Nassr contract expires at the end of June.
Ronaldo joining Al-Hilal would see the five-time Ballon d'Or winner compete at this year's Club World Cup, raising the faint possibility of the 40-year-old facing Lionel Messi's Inter Miami.
Al-Nassr are confirmed to be in talks to extend Ronaldo's deal, though, so Fernandes may have to stick with playing alongside the veteran striker at international level for now.
Ben Knapton
