Manchester United talisman Bruno Fernandes has been heavily linked with a move to the Saudi Pro League this summer, with fees in excess of £100m allegedly intriguing the financially-strapped Red Devils.
However, the captain's contributions would be almost impossible to replace directly from the transfer market, and given that the 19-time champions have consistently struggled to make effective signings since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson more than a decade ago, fans are concerned.
As speculation continues to swirl, this could be a pivotal moment for both Ruben Amorim and Sir Jim Ratcliffe at United, and it has been suggested by some reports that the manager, who wants to keep his captain, is at odds with the club's leadership, who see a sale as necessary.
Here, Sports Mole considers what the midfielder brings to United and ponders the question: Should the Red Devils sell Fernandes?
One of the Premier League's Most Influential
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United's 2024-25 campaign will go down in club history for all the wrong reasons, as the Old Trafford faithful saw their team crawl to their worst ever finish of 15th in the Premier League and lose the Europa League final to a downtrodden Tottenham Hotspur.
That being said, Fernandes remained a bright spot for fans in dark moments, and with a staggering 19 goals and 20 assists this term across all competitions, his surface level numbers are undeniably strong.
Adding to his credibility as a true star of the English top flight is the fact that the captain ended the season with the most key passes, progressive passes and through balls in the division, as well as the second most shot creating actions ahead of even playmaker award winner Mohamed Salah.
With this in mind, there is an argument to be made that Fernandes would be recognised as one of the best attacking midfielders in the world in a different side with more effective forwards, especially given the well-documented woes of strikers Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee.
It is also notable that United's talisman registered the fifth most touches of any player, and the most outside of the Champions League places, a statistic that clearly highlights his importance not only in the final third, but also in everything that the Red Devils do.
How can United raise funds this summer?
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In a press conference after United beat Hong Kong 3-1 on Friday, manager Amorim expressed his opinion that Fernandes is keen to stay at Old Trafford and claimed that the club has other ways to make money.
On the other side of the argument, it has since been claimed that Ratcliffe's leadership group at the club deem the sale a requirement, and there are rumours of a discord between the two differing parties on this matter.
While it is true that the Red Devils could earn strong profits from offloading the likes of Alejandro Garnacho, who has fallen out of favour with his boss, Fernandes is undoubtedly the club's biggest asset, and given that his 2020 transfer has been fully paid off, £100m would be a major boost to the books in light of the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability rules.
Academy product Marcus Rashford, who gained a new lease of life on loan at Aston Villa, would also bring in a healthy fee, while Antony, who found form at Real Betis, has apparently been tagged with a £40m asking price.
How could United replace Fernandes?
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A single player capable of directly replacing the captain's numbers is not currently available on the market, and even if one were, the best course of action could be to use any funds raised to strengthen the squad more broadly.
The most prominent modern example of this approach occurred in 2018, when Liverpool sold their star attacking midfielder, Philippe Coutinho, to Barcelona for £142m, and after the Brazilian produced some incredible performances in the first half of the season, it seemed that the Merseysiders would be worse off without him.
However, instead of replacing him in a like-for-like fashion, sporting director Michael Edwards brought Virgil van Dijk to the club for a record £75m, and reinforced Jurgen Klopp's XI further by signing the likes of Alisson Becker and Fabinho in the summer.
It was widely reported that the Reds would not have been able to afford these players without a major sale, and perhaps United could sacrifice their own star to build a more balanced and capable overall squad at Old Trafford.
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Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Matheus Cunha is already expected to join as part of a £62.5m deal, while the Red Devils have been linked to a number of strikers including Napoli's Victor Osimhen, who should be available for a cut-price despite netting 36 goals on loan at Galatasaray this term.
A front three of Cunha, Osimhen and Amad Diallo is a threatening proposition, and with a quartet of Patrick Dorgu, Manuel Ugarte, Kobbie Mainoo and Noussair Mazraoui behind them, United's starting middle third seems strong, too.
That being said, Amorim may want to sign another midfielder given that Christian Eriksen's contract expires this summer, though the 33-year-old only played 1061 minutes in the Premier League in 2024-25.
With the aim of improving the squad more holistically, a new face between the sticks could give a team that ended the campaign with a minus 10 goal difference more defensive confidence, similar to when Loris Karius and Simon Mignolet were replaced by Alisson.
In the same vein, an additional centre-back to join Lenny Yoro and Harry Maguire in place of the unreliable Lisandro Martinez could also help with stability in the backline, especially with Jonny Evans and Victor Lindelof set to depart the club at the end of their contracts.
