Super-agent Jorge Mendes has wasted no time in expediting a Bruno Fernandes move to Barcelona from Manchester United after the playmaker admitted he would consider his future after the European Championships.
Fernandes has been brilliant for United ever since his arrival from Sporting Lisbon in January 2020 and has been one of few positives in a difficult second season for Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford, contributing 15 goals and nine assists in all competitions
But having previously said he was committed to United after positive talks with new co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, when asked by DAZN Portugal about his future this week, Fernandes said he would wait until after the Euros in Germany this summer to make his decision.
“Obviously, it doesn’t just depend on me, does it?” Fernandes said. “A player always has to want to be here, but at the same time, you have to want him to stay. At the moment, I feel there’s that on both sides.
“I’m not thinking too much about the future, not least because, obviously, this season hasn’t been at the level I’d hoped for, either individually or collectively, so far.
“So, if you want me to be very honest, if I have to think about not continuing in the Premier League, it won’t be until after the Euros because nothing will be able to take my focus away from the FA Cup final and the Euros, as there’s nothing more important than that at the moment.”
It’s claimed ‘first contacts have been made to know the total cost of the operation’ to sign the 29-year-old – who’s valued by Transfermarkt at £60m – this summer.
Jorge Mendes will ‘greatly help to bring one of his best customers closer to the Camp Nou’ and it’s thought a swap deal involving Frenkie de Jong – who has been long-coveted by United and Ten Hag – is in the offing to ‘significantly reduce his price’.
But it’s further claimed the ‘bomb’ of a transfer may be stopped in its tracks by manager Xavi, who has agreed to stay on with the Catalans despite announcing his departure from the club earlier in the season, as the Spaniard ‘prefers to focus’ on Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva.
