Ben Guest
So, Bruno Fernandes to Manchester United is a thing once again, and the latest rumours have sent the good people of twitter into somewhat of a meltdown.
The Portuguese midfielder was heavily linked with a move to Manchester United in the summer, though no move ever materialised, with it since being reported that he was actually close to joining Spurs.
However, with United struggling once again, and there being a glaring lack of creativity coming from midfield, it seems like Fernandes could be back on their radar, even though they supposedly thought he lost possession too much just five months ago.
Earlier this week we saw reports from The Athletic that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Mike Phelan had jetted to Lisbon to personally watch the player in Sporting’s 2-1 loss to Porto last weekend, ‘speculation’ that Solskjaer didn’t exactly deny in his Friday press conference.
Now, reports in both the British and Portuguese media have suggested that senior sporting officials have arrived in the UK to discuss a deal worth around €70 million for Fernandes.
All this coupled with a photo of a mystery man arriving at United’s Carrington training ground, and you’ve got yourself the perfect recipe for some Twitter excitement.
Heres that picture…
Could be Bruno uno. 👀 pic.twitter.com/n9thaZTKWk
— UTFR 🇾🇪 (@ManUtd_HQ) January 10, 2020
It’s not like Rio Ferdinand to get over-excited now, is it?
Brunoooooooooooo ⏳⌚️
— Rio Ferdinand (@rioferdy5) January 10, 2020
When you’ve got Matic, Fred and Lingard trying to pull the strings, is there any wonder?
Man Utd fans to Bruno Fernandes 😄 pic.twitter.com/vRO8t6mlHB
— Goal (@goal) January 10, 2020
Probably true
If you’ve seen Bruno Fernandes play football you’re a liar.
— Gaz (@CantonaManc) January 10, 2020
While some reckoned it was Wolves’ Ruben Neves who was in the car, ya know, because he also has an ear and a beard…
https://twitter.com/mufcstacey/status/1215667384255700992?s=21
Meanwhile, the guys at Sports Witness gave the reports some context
Friday's O Jogo reported talks, and that an offer could be formalised quickly.
On Friday afternoon, in a completely crazy 30 minutes, near enough every relevant media outlet in Portugal reported Sporting's president was in England for talks. 👇 https://t.co/av9Qc9urYU
— Sport Witness (@Sport_Witness) January 10, 2020
RTP, who are the Portuguese source who broke the news of Tottenham being in serious talks (and certainly don’t go heavy on rumours), are now also reporting talks.
They state, according to their own information, that Bruno Fernandes negotiations with #MUFC are ‘well underway’.
— Sport Witness (@Sport_Witness) January 10, 2020
You can certainly see why United would perhaps want him
Bruno Fernandes has been directly involved in a goal every 81 minutes across Liga NOS & Europa League this season.
Unbelievable output from midfield. 🇵🇹 pic.twitter.com/sGnCjwSFOY
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) January 10, 2020
However, some don’t have much faith with United anymore…
"Man Utd midfielder Bruno Fernandes is on the verge of completing an 18 month loan move to AC Milan. After just 12 months at the club, Mauricio Pochettino claims the Portuguese star (26) is free to leave after a series of underwhelming displays & a break in at his Cheshire home."
— GeorgeWeahsCousin (@WeahsCousin) January 10, 2020
Read – Manchester United admit defeat in Christian Eriksen pursuit
See also – Five of Solskjaer’s Man United’s most embarrassing defeats so far this season