Al Nassr fail in attempt to sign Man Utd captain Fernandes

Saudi Arabian side Al Nassr have failed in an attempt to sign Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes.

Contact was made through intermediaries, but there was no formal approach to Man Utd from Al Nassr, whose captain, Cristiano Ronaldo, is a Portugal team-mate of Fernandes.

The Man Utd midfielder rejected the chance to join Saudi Pro League rivals Al Hilal earlier this summer.

Al Hilal had been willing to almost treble Fernandes’ £250,000-a-week wages, having been prepared to pay Man Utd £100m to sign the club’s captain.

But the 30-year-old turned down their offer as he did not want to move to Saudi Arabia at this stage of his career.

Manchester United do not want to sell their captain, who has a contract until 2027 with the option of a further year.

The Portugal international has contributed 98 goals and 87 assists in 290 games in all competitions since moving to Manchester United from Sporting Lisbon in January 2020.

Fernandes has been in good form on Man Utd’s pre-season tour of the USA, scoring both goals in the 2-1 win over West Ham.

Why Bruno rejected Al Hilal move earlier this summer

Fernandes confirmed in early June that he had rejected a mega-money move to Saudi Arabia and revealed how talks with his wife and Man Utd boss Ruben Amorim were key in his decision.

Fernandes told a Portugal press conference: “The president of Al Hilal called me a month ago to ask about the possibility of me moving there.

“I had to wait a while to think about the future. As I’ve always said, I would be willing to do it if United thought it was best to move on.

“I spoke with Ruben Amorim, who really tried to talk me out of it.

“I spoke to the club, who said they weren’t willing to sell me, only if I wanted to leave.

“From my side, it was a very ambitious proposal, the president was a fantastic person. I never talked about the money, it ended up coming up later, with my agent.

“I had to make the decision as a family and understand what I wanted for my future. That was the question my wife asked, what my professional goals would be. At no point did she say yes or no, she always supported me and put my professional side first.

“It was an easy move, even at a family level. I had Ruben Neves, Joao Cancelo. My children are used to playing with theirs.

“But I simply want to stay at the highest level, playing in the big competitions, because I still feel capable of that.

“I want to continue to be happy and do what I love most. I’m still very passionate about this sport. It’s my way of seeing football and I’m happy with my decision.”