After an incredible season with Sporting CP, Bruno Fernandes has found himself as a target of a possible transfer to Premier League, with Manchester United and Liverpool both trying to get an upper hand over the other in a transfer race for the 24-year-old Portuguese midfielder.
PORTO, PORTUGAL – JUNE 9: Bruno Fernandes of Portugal and Sporting CP in action during the UEFA Nations League Final match between Portugal and Netherlands at Estadio do Dragao on June 9, 2019 in Porto, Portugal. (Photo by Gualter Fatia/Getty Images)
Bruno Fernandes, the 24-year-old midfielder and captain for Sporting Lisbon has found himself on a shortlist of two Premier League giants, who expressed their desire to bring him into their squad this summer. As a player who flew under the radar for the past seasons, Fernandes managed to blow up with an incredible 2018/19 season for his team. He ended the season with 53 appearances in all competitions, during which he scored 32 goals and added 18 assists. With 20 goals in NOS League to his name, Bruno Fernandes also finished runner-up as the 2nd best goal scorer in his domestic league, only trailing behind Haris Seferovic who had 23 goals to his name.
Considering his incredible performance, the price tag on Bruno Fernandes is understandably high, and as the reports suggest maybe even too high for one of the suitors. As it was reported Manchester United are not prepared to meet Sporting Lisbon’s asking price of £70m for Bruno Fernandes, who is expected to find a new home this summer. His agent has reportedly met with Manchester United and Tottenham, however with no success. While the Red Devils want to see Bruno Fernandes in their team, the asked price for the 24-year-old star was high enough to cool down the negotiations, leaving the transfer at a halt.
With the transfer seemingly moving nowhere, a new suitor entered the race, and it was no other than Liverpool, who reportedly found themselves to be the most likely club to sign the Portuguese star. Liverpool have been eyeing Bruno Fernandes in previous seasons, but never decided to make a move. This however changed this season, after they got to see what Bruno Fernandes is capable of doing. While it’s unclear if the Reds will be ready to open their wallets and meet the £70m asking price, the Champions League winners are reportedly first in line to land Bruno Fernandes. By many considered as Philippe Coutinho replacement, Fernandes would surely be a huge addition to the already strong team from North London. On the other side, the absence of Philippe Coutinho did not seem to harm Liverpool too much, as they are statistically much more successful since the Brazilian left them for Barcelona.
While the reports suggested Manchester United moved away from negotiations, Ole Gunnar Solskjær stated he wishes to see Bruno Fernandes in his team for the next season, which might suggest United are still in the race to land Fernandes by the end of the summer. However, they will have to put themselves in a better position compared to Liverpool, which might prove to be a hard task, considering how impressive Liverpool was this season. Where will Bruno Fernandes end up in 2019/20 season is yet unclear, however, we can be sure, he surely won’t remain at Sporting Lisbon, not after what he has shown this season.
