Manchester United have made it clear that their star midfielder, Bruno Fernandes, is off the market and will not be sold this summer, regardless of the price tag.
Top European clubs, including Galatasaray, Atletico Madrid, Juventus, and AC Milan, have been considering making offers for the United captain, signaling their high regard for his talents.
Reports indicate that Galatasaray is prepared to table a bid of £42.7 million for the 31-year-old, along with a promise to significantly boost his current salary.
Despite this, no formal offers have been presented yet, and insiders from Manchester United suggest that any pursuits are futile. As revealed by Daily Mail Sport in March, the club intends to initiate discussions for a new contract with Fernandes. However, these talks are still in their infancy.
Galatasaray, along with other interested clubs, sees United’s delay in finalizing a new contract as a potential vulnerability to be taken advantage of.
Manchester United are readying themselves for a £42.7million swoop for their captain Bruno Fernandes from Galatasaray
Fernandes has one year left on his current deal with an option for a further year. He is already one of the best paid players in the club, behind Marcus Rashford, on around £220,000 a week.
The club captain was, however, hurt by the club’s stance last year when Al Hilal were prepared to offer £100m for him.
The club said it was up to Fernandes whether he wanted to leave and the Portugal international felt they should have expressed a greater desire to keep him, to underline his importance.
Fernandes went on to achieve a Premier League record 21 assists last season and is favourite to be crowned PFA Player of the Year for 2025-26 in Manchester next week.
Despite the allure of greater riches in Saudi Arabia or elsewhere, his ambition has been to stay at Old Trafford and see if he can realise his ambition of leading United to a Premier League title challenge.
Throught the turmoil of Ruben Amorim’s tenure and the revival under Michael Carrick, Fernandes has remained close to each coach and been a model professional leading by example on the pitch.
Fernandes, who will be speaking to an audience of fans at invite-only event at Manchester’s Arndale centre on Tuesday, said earlier this summer: ‘It’s not a question of loyalty. I could have gone two years ago, I could have gone three years ago, I could have gone last season, but I really like to be here.
‘I think that being successful at this club is something that I can never get at another club. The joy and everything I get, the day I get what I want from this club, I don’t think I will get that from any other club in the world.’ He told Sky Sports.
Michael Carrick’s side, however, insist the 31-year-old is not available for transfer at any price
‘I won the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup (but) what this club wants, what these fans want and what I want, myself and the team, we haven’t got that yet. Until my contract expires, I’m going to try.’
According to The Telegraph, Dursun Ozbek, the Galatasaray president, is on a mission to sign Fernandes and is prepared to essentially double his money.
The wage on offer is £18.3m annually, which, due to Turkey’s relaxed tax system, means he would take home twice what he earns at United.
The report suggests an offer from Galatasaray would feature an initial bid plus add-ons.
Performance-related add-ons reportedly include £1.3m for every title win up to £5.1m, plus £1.7m if Fernandes is the league’s top assister in his first season or £1.3m if he achieves the accolade in his second.
They could also include £850,000 if Galatasaray qualify for next season’s Champions League, plus another £850,000 if they reach the last-16 and £3m if they reach the quarter-finals.
United are continuing to look for at least one more signing this summer to strengthen Carrick’s hand.
They have bid for Leicester City midfielder Louis Page, along with Arsenal, and want a left-back to compete with Luke Shaw.
However, one midfielder who may yet leave is Toby Collyer who has attracted enquiries from West Bromwich Albion. Discussions are at an early stage over a permanent move.