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News
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Bruno Fernandes: Why are Man Utd selling their captain to Al-Hilal?
Robin Bairner
- Updated: 30 May 2025 07:15 CDT
- 5 min read
Analysis
Manchester United could complete one of the most surprising transfers of the summer by allowing Bruno Fernandes to leave the club for the Saudi Pro League – but why are the Red Devils poised to allow their captain and star player to leave?
Bruno carried Man Utd last year as far as he could. The Portuguese playmaker dragged his side to the Europa League final and was one of the few players who could hold his head up high after a disastrous Premier League campaign.
Unsurprisingly, he won the Player of the Year award at Old Trafford for the second season in a row and the fourth time in the last six. Surely, then, he is the one man that United are fighting to keep at all costs?
In usual circumstances, this would be the case, but these are highly unusual times at Man Utd, and this calls for a change of approach.
STATS
Bruno Fernandes
AM, M (C)
Man Utd
Bruno Fernandes
AM, M (C)
Man Utd
Bruno Fernandes to Al-Hilal: Three factors driving transfer
Firstly, it’s important to point out that Manchester United do not want to sell Bruno Fernandes. Instead, they are being forced to take a pragmatic decision that allowing the Portugal star to depart is for the best for the club.
There are three driving forces behind this reasoning:
- A fragile financial position with regards to the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR)
- An offer from the Saudi Pro League that is well above market value
- A squad that needs renovation
Without all three of these factors working together, United would likely not choose to sell.
Ruben Amorim’s team needs an overhaul this summer, and the only way that is realistic is by signing new players. This needs money, and while United can still fund big deals, their hands are tied by PSR.
As such, the Red Devils need to make player sales to ensure they are within PSR’s loss limit of €120 million (£105m) over the course of a three-year rolling period.
While deals for Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho have been discussed, a blockbuster transfer for Bruno Fernandes could go someway to acting as a remedy to the club’s problems.
Current ETV
Bruno Fernandes
AM, M (C)
Man Utd
Bruno Fernandes
AM, M (C)
Man Utd
ETV Range
€49.3M - €60.3M
Step forward Al-Hilal, who The Telegraph reports are willing to pay €95-120m to sign Bruno. This is a huge figure. His Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) is nearly half of that at €55m.
Given he will turn 31 in September and has just two years left on his deal, the former Sporting CP player’s value is only going to drop.
United are calculating whether losing Bruno for such a fee can be compensated by signing one, two or even three players for the money raised from his sale.
Why does Bruno want to sign for Al-Hilal?
From a personal perspective, the draw of the Saudi Pro League is obvious for Bruno Fernandes, who is said to be giving "serious consideration" to a move by The Athletic.
His wages will be boosted to €80m per year over the course of a three-season deal, landing him a total of €240m.
What does Ruben Amorim think?
The Man Utd boss has made it clear that he does not want to lose his star player.
Speaking during the post-season tour of Asia, he said: “You can see by the performance, the leadership, the passion he [Fernandes] has for the games. So it is really important, especially in these kinds of moments.
“You could see that in the last game [versus Aston Villa]. I felt that the team was without pressure; they performed quite well and everybody wanted the ball.
“The team has different moments and in different moments, Bruno is the one who really wants to take responsibility.
“He should be because he is the captain, so he's really important for us and really important for what we want to build with this team.”
Amorim’s wishes, though, may be outweighed by what’s best for Man Utd – and on this occasion, that may mean selling Bruno Fernandes.
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