Spanish club Barcelona have begun negotiations with Sporting Lisbon over a deal to sign Manchester United target Bruno Fernandes, FutballNews understands.
United and Sporting were miles apart in their valuation of the midfielder but reports in Portugal claim that the Premier League club have returned to the negotiating table to thrash out a deal. The report added that both clubs are now in direct contact, rather than using third parties.
However, according to Sky Sports, the Catalan giants are interested in signing the Portuguese international until 2025 but will loan him to Valencia until the end of the 2020-21 season. The Catalans are also negotiating with their league rivals over a deal to sign striker Rodrigo and it is reported that they are hoping this new proposal can help get a deal over the line.
Recall that United co-chairman Joel Glazer had called off the deal to sign Fernandes after the Red Devils refused to meet the Portuguese club’s £68million asking price. According to him, Sporting’s demands for Fernandes are ‘outrageous and unreasonable’ adding that the midfielder is worth what the club chiefs are demanding.
The Premier League club had launched a £55m deal for the Portugal midfielder earlier this week but the Sporting insisted on a fee higher than that. Also United had planned to pay £42.5m up-front for the midfielder, with a further £8.5m in performance-based add-ons.
However, the Portuguese giants were unhappy with the structuring of the deal, thereby making negotiations between the two clubs hit an impasse. The club wanted more of the fee in advance, believing that the 25-year-old midfielder would be unlikely to meet the clauses in the deal.
Fernandes began his professional career at Novara in Italy before spells at Udinese and Sampdoria. The midfielder then joined Sporting in 2017 and is now likely to call time on his three-year spell at Sporting in favour of a move to United.
The25-year-old had told Sporting that he wants to move to United this month. The midfielder, who is regarded as one of the best talents in the Portuguese league, has gone on to make a total of 81 league appearances and scoring 39 goals for Sporting. He has scored 15 goals and provided 14 assists in 27 appearances for Sporting this season across all competitions.
Fernandes was involved in Sporting’s 1-0 home win in the Portuguese League against Maritimo on Monday.
