If this is the final act of Bruno Fernandes’ Manchester United career, it will be a fitting farewell for the Portuguese prodigy as he leads the charge for Champions League qualification.
As he himself admits, the 31-year-old’s future is likely to be talked about again after this summer’s World Cup, as he was on the verge of moving to Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal last summer and has just over a year left on his existing contract.
More than six years after arriving from Lisbon, United’s captain remains of The Old Trafford star continues to lead the league in assists this season, with only Brian Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesco bettering his tally of eight goals in the Premier League.
Whether he stays or leaves remains to be seen, but his contract is a benchmark for those who follow and recent reports suggest INEOS are looking to sign a similarly talismanic midfielder for the summer.
£100m target wants to join Manchester United this summer
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Manchester United’s final UCL starting lineup | |
|---|---|
0-1 vs Bayern Munich | |
position | player |
GK | drunk** |
R.B. | share |
C.B. | Maguire |
C.B. | early* |
lb | show |
DM | Amrabat* |
DM | McTominay* |
R.M. | Anthony* |
morning | Fernandez |
LM | Grenache* |
ST | Hoylund** |
*Sold – **On loan | |
Last summer, INEOS agreed a £62.5m deal for Matheus Cunha from Wolverhampton Wanderers, and by early June he had already completed his first summer deal.
Further investment from the Premier League is likely to continue this time around, with Newcastle United’s Sandro Tonali appearing to be a likely target as they search for a successor to Casemiro, who is leaving the club.
As reported, sources have told Football FanCast that the Italy international would like to move to Old Trafford this summer, ahead of joining Arsenal, if the Red Devils can secure Champions League football.
The 25-year-old will join his current team in a £55m deal in the summer of 2023 and is said to be keen to “solidify” his place in United’s starting XI for years to come.
It is believed that signing him from St James’ Park could cost a fee in the region of £100m, and this move is likely to be even more expensive, surpassing United’s club record £89m for Paul Pogba.
Why Tonali could be the next Bruno Fernandes
Fernandes joined the club in January 2020 and his impact was immediate, with the former Sporting CP star being named man of the match on his debut against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
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The creative sensation rose to prominence in senior Italian football with Novara, Udinese and Sampdoria before returning to Lisbon, where he was a key player with 113 goals and assists in 137 games for his former team.
It’s a similar trajectory to the one Tonali has achieved in his career so far, with in-demand midfielders like Novara’s Fernandes starting his life in Serie B with Brescia before moving to AC Milan in 2020.
After making 130 appearances for San Siro, he scored 20 goals and provided an assist in 104 games under manager Eddie Howe before moving to Newcastle three years later.
With the added bonus of Premier League experience, Tonali could well hit the ground running in Manchester straight away without needing an adaptation period and follow in Fernandes’ footsteps.
In fact, Tonali is only 25, the same age as Fernandes when the deal was agreed six years ago, and there are similarities between the two, having arrived at similar stages in their careers.
Much like United’s Portuguese Magnifico, there can be little doubt about the Italian’s ability to smoothly come on board. United legend Paul Scholes previously named Tonali as the best midfielder in the Premier League, praising him as “better than (Declan) Rice”.
Similarly, Tonali, who has won Serie A and the Carabao Cup, will still have a hunger to win a real major trophy. Fernandes won just three Portuguese domestic trophies during his time with Italy and Sporting.
The Newcastle man only recently suffered the woes of missing out on the World Cup despite scoring in the play-off semi-final against Northern Ireland, but there is no doubting his quality and ability as he has been a real box-to-box threat with all his action on Tyneside.
Despite being an experienced player, Tonali is still young and, like Fernandes, can fit in long-term as part of United’s midfield, and will undoubtedly be a key target for INEOS this summer.
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