Man Utd agree basis of £60m deal to sign Fernandes, player to pen 5-year contract

Manchester United have agreed a deal in principal to sign Sporting Lisbon star Bruno Fernandes for £60m [€70m] this month with Marcos Rojo possibly heading in the opposite direction, according to reports in Portugal via the Express.

Fernandes has been strongly linked with a move to Old Trafford in recent weeks as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer looks to strengthen his squad to bolster their push to finish in the top four of the Premier League this season.

After days of intense speculation, the Express are now citing a report from Correio da Manha that claims the premise of a deal has been agreed between the two clubs that would see Man Utd pay £51.2m [€60m] up front with a further £8.6m [€10m] coming in add-ons and Fernandes will supposedly sign a five-year contract.

The Portuguese newspaper says the deal was brokered with Fernandes’ agent Miguel Pinho and super-agent Jorge Mendes – who has a good relationship with United – and the finer details are now being thrashed out between all the parties.

It’s claimed in the report that Sporting are keen to take Rojo as part of the deal but it’s proving difficult due to his wage demands so the Portuguese club are now waiting for United to submit the formal offer.

The Express says Man Utd are hopeful of getting the deal wrapped-up before the end of the week but Sporting are trying to delay things until after the weekend so Fernandes can play in their showdown with Benfica on Friday night.

We’ll have to wait and see how negotiations progress over the coming days but it looks like Fernandes’ move to United is edging closer and he should be a hugely exciting signing if the deal gets over the line.

The Portuguese international is an attacking midfielder who’s provided 15 goals and 13 assists in all competitions so far this campaign so he’d add some much-needed creativity to Solskjaer’s side.

With Paul Pogba recovering from a troublesome ankle injury and Scott McTominay also out with a knee ligament injury, Solskjaer needs midfield reinforcements and it appears United have identified Fernandes as a cheaper alternative to the likes of James Maddison and Jack Grealish.