Bruno Fernandes is seeking a new contract from Manchester United that would put him in the same top salary bracket as Marcus Rashford, Casemiro and Jadon Sancho, but the captain is waiting for clarity on the manager and the club’s long-term vision before deciding whether to seek a move.
United’s hierarchy, led by manager Jim Ratcliffe, consider Fernandes their best player and are not actively considering selling him, but with the club needing to raise funds and reduce their wage bill in order to invest heavily in the squad, any realistic offer could be considered.
Fernandes’ agent Miguel Pinho has been in talks with potential suitors in recent days, with Bayern Munich and Barcelona reportedly interested, but the Catalan club are not thought to be serious options due to severe financial difficulties.
Fernandes will sign a new contract worth around £220,000-a-week in April 2022, taking him until 2026 with the option to extend for a further 12 months, but the Portuguese feels undervalued and is thought to want to earn the maximum salary.
Rashford’s base wages are around £365,000-a-week, slightly higher than Casemiro’s, with Sancho earning around £300,000-a-week, and Fernandes turns 30 in September so he knows his next contract will be the biggest of his career.
Fernandes is also unsure of the club’s direction. United are due to clarify manager Erik ten Hag’s future but Fernandes wants to know who would replace him if he is sacked. Fernandes made it clear last month that the club’s ambitions need to match his own.
“I love nothing more than stepping into Old Trafford,” he told Players’ Tribune . “I don’t want to leave. This has always been my ultimate dream. I just want my expectations to match the club’s expectations. Talk to any fan and they’ll say the same thing: we want to compete in the league, we want to play in the Champions League, we want to get to cup finals. That’s the standard.”
Fernandes joined in January 2020 and has only won the Carabao Cup and FA Cup so far. United have not mounted a genuine title challenge since Alex Ferguson retired as manager in May 2013. United’s eighth-place finish last month was their worst ever result in the Premier League era and the club will play in the Europa League next season.
United will need to invest heavily to become as powerful as Fernandes wants, but profitability and sustainability rules mean the club will need to use the fees received from sales and wage savings to do so in the next transfer window.
Alongside Fernandes, Rashford is their most potentially valuable player and with his contract running until 2028, United could be considering making a serious offer for him.
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Sancho, who was loaned to Borussia Dortmund for the second half of the season after a falling out with ten Hag, is under contract until 2026 and would command a significant transfer fee.
Other potential transfers would be for lesser fees, including Casemiro and Harry Maguire, who has one year left on his contract on £180,000-a-week, while Raphael Varane’s £340,000-a-week salary will be taken off the books when his contract expires at the end of this month.
Alejandro Garnacho and Koby Mainu, both 19, and 21-year-old Rasmus Hojlund are the only players protected from sale by the club as part of United’s future, while Lisandro Martinez is highly unlikely to be sold given his status at the club.
