Man Utd won’t be able to stop Bruno Fernandes leaving if European clubs meet one condition

Bruno Fernandes has spoken in detail about his future at Manchester United, but there is one section of his contract which could provide him with an exit route.

Manchester United would allow Bruno Fernandes to leave if a club triggers a release clause worth £56.68million, according to reports. The 31-year-old playmaker attracted attention from Saudi Arabian outfit, Al-Hilal, during the summer transfer window.

The Portuguese star subsequently turned down their advances, despite the purported £700,000-per-week salary understood to have been offered to him in the Middle East. He has since then underlined his dedication to United during a discussion with journalists.

The United captain made it evident he won’t contemplate his Old Trafford future until after the 2026 World Cup concludes. Nevertheless, reports suggest a clause within his contract offers an escape route from the club should another team outside of England meet the required fee.

According to BBC Sport, Fernandes’ existing agreement – which runs until the summer 2027 with an optional extra year – contains a provision which would permit his departure from England. Any overseas club would be entitled to secure his services by submitting a bid of £56.68m.

Currently, there’s no indication he’s seeking a move away, as he clarified to journalists. When he was directly asked if he is thinking about an exit, he replied: “As I’ve always said, I feel good here. I want to achieve my dreams still, but obviously I can’t talk by the side of the club.

“I’ve seen a lot of news. I’ve seen a lot of people talking that I had an agreement to go already next season. If the club has done that agreement, it wasn’t made with me.

“So I haven’t spoken with anyone. I could tell you that there are still people talking to me and saying that they will be very eager to have me next year, of course. But from my side, that’s not talked about. Because my agent also knows how I work, so if he wants to talk to me, it will be after the World Cup. Because until then, I won’t speak to anyone.”

Fernandes did acknowledge that other European clubs had also shown interest in securing his services, as well as sides from Saudi Arabia. However, when it came to concrete proposals, none were formally submitted to United, who remain determined to keep hold of their star midfielder’s services whilst, also, being prepared to facilitate his departure should he wish to leave.

The former Sporting CP man revealed details of a conversation he held with United chief executive Omar Berrada and football director Jason Wilcox. He continued: “I spoke with both, obviously. I think the first time I spoke was in Malaysia, because that was when everything started.

“I had a conversation with Omar and I told him; ‘Look, this is what is on the table. I know the club might be looking at this in a way. I will be looking at it in a different way. So I just want to know from your perspective, or from your side, what’s the point of view, what you guys want to do. And then from there on, I will do my things’.

“And obviously, the first one, Jason said, like Omar said; ‘We won’t say no. But obviously, it’s the thing that we want you to stay at the club. But if you want to go, we won’t say that it’s not the offer for us, because obviously it’s massive money’. As I said this many times, the club’s last biggest sale was £20million, probably from Daniel James.

“I’m not very sure. Scott [McTominay] went above that. But to go from that to the big amount that Al-Hilal was, like they could offer £80m, £100m. They were like more than eager to pay for the player to go.”

Since his transfer from Sporting in 2020 for a fee of £47m, Fernandes has been a key figure for United, contributing an impressive 100 goals and 87 assists in 299 appearances.

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