Portuguese international Bruno Fernandes has officially joined Manchester United from Sporting Lisbon on a five-and-a-half year deal with the option to extend for a further year. The 25-year-old put pen to paper on Thursday after passing medical and agreeing personal term with the Red Devils.
United agreed a deal worth up to £68m with the Portuguese club for the midfielder. The Premier League will also pay an initial fee of €55m (£46.56m) plus add-ons. Also, the club will pay the Portuguese club a further €10m (£8.46m) provided the midfielder win individual awards and an additional €15m (£12.7m) if Fernandes wins the Ballon d’Or at Old Trafford. The Portuguese club will also be eligible for 10% of the profits from any future sale of the player.
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The midfielder, who could feature for United against Wolves on Saturday evening, began his professional career at Novara in Italy before spells at Udinese and Sampdoria. The midfielder then joined Sporting in 2017 and has now ended his three-year spell at Sporting.
Fernandes made a total of 81 league appearances and scoring 39 goals for Sporting. He also scored 15 goals and provided 14 assists in 27 appearances for Sporting this season across all competitions.
In a statement on the club’s official website, Fernandes said he is joining the Red Devils in order to follow in the footsteps of fellow countrymen like Cristiano Ronaldo and Louis Nani. He also promised the fans that he would give everything for the badge to help bring the club more success and trophies.
“My love of Manchester United really started when I used to watch Cristiano Ronaldo play and ever since then I have been a big fan of this great club,” he said.
“For me to now play for Manchester United feels incredible, I have worked hard to get to this moment and I can promise the fans that I will give everything for the badge to help bring us more success and trophies.
“I want to thank Sporting for everything they have done for me. It is surreal to hear the nice words that have been said about me from players that used to play for this team. A massive thank you to Ole and everyone at Manchester United for the trust they have shown in me and I can’t wait to start to repay that on the pitch.”
Also, speaking to the club website, United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said that he is excited that the move was finally complete. He added that he plans to get one more signing, especially a striker before the transfer window closes on Friday midnight.
“We have been tracking Bruno for many months and everyone here has been tremendously impressed with all his attributes and what he will bring to this team,” the Norwegian beamed.
“Most importantly he is a terrific human being with a great personality and his leadership qualities are clear for all to see.
“Bruno’s goals and assists stats speak for themselves, he will be a fantastic addition to our team and he will help us push on in the second part of the season. The winter break is coming at a perfect time for us to integrate Bruno into the squad and for him to get to know his team-mates.”
