Manchester United will have to break the bank to keep Bruno Fernandes at Old Trafford this summer. Fernandes is considering his Old Trafford future - and will be inundated with offers from other clubs at the end of the season.
The Portuguese midfielder has become disillusioned with how the club is run and the managerial changes. He came close to leaving United last summer, but rejected the chance to join the Saudi Pro League.
The United captain will wait until the end of this season before deciding his next move. While Fernandes has been impressed with the impact Michael Carrick has made as interim manager, he wants to see who the next permanent boss will be.
The 31-year-old knows his next deal will be the last major one of his career and that he needs to cash in. He also knows United bosses are desperate for him not to leave.
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United will stand a better chance of keeping Fernandes if they can offer him Champions League football. But club chiefs will still have to offer Fernandes a deal in the region of £400,000-a-week, making him the highest-paid player.
This would be a significant increase on his current contract, which runs until 2027 and has the option of a 12-month extension.
Fernandes knows his value to United - and wants to maximise it. It remains to be seen if United would be willing to hand such a deal to someone in their 30s.
He would have no sell on value come the end of any new deal.
But with Casemiro poised to leave in the summer, United will be getting rid of someone on £400,000-a-week, making them more flexible financially.
Fernandes has won just two domestic trophies since joining United in 2020, and needs to know he is at a club capable of fulfilling his ambitions.
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