MUNICH (AP) — Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has turned down a proposed move to Saudi club Al Hilal because he wants “to play at the highest possible level.”
Fernandes confirmed Tuesday that he had received an “exciting offer” from the Riyadh-based club to switch after what was a disappointing season for United.
“They waited for me to think about my future, because I said only if Manchester thought it was the time to move on, that I’d be willing to do so,” Fernandes said through an interpreter. “I talked to the gaffer, Ruben Amorim, and at the time he asked me not to go. I then talked to Man United. They said they didn’t want to sell me. If I wanted to go, I could, but they didn’t need the money, they didn’t need to sell me.”
Media reports suggested Al Hilal was prepared to pay 100 million pounds ($135 million) to take the 30-year-old Fernandes from United while offering him a wage of 700,000 pounds ($946,000) per week to play for the Saudi Pro League team, which will compete in the Club World Cup this month in the United States.
“It was a very exciting offer,” Fernandes said. “The president of Al Hilal, he was very nice to me. He talked to my manager but then I talked to my wife and as a family we wanted to see what I wanted to do. She asked me, what do you want to do with your future?”
Fernandes last year signed a contract extension to stay at Old Trafford until June 2027.
This season did not go as planned as the Red Devils failed to qualify for the Champions League after finishing 15th in the Premier League, while United also endured the heartbreak of losing the Europa League final to Tottenham.
“We had goals and we didn’t meet them,” said Fernandes, a key figure for United since his arrival in January 2020.
He said it would have been easy for the family to make the move to Riyadh, and for him to adjust to the team with Portugal teammates Rúben Neves and João Cancelo already playing for Al Hilal.
“I’m used to them, but I want to play at the highest possible level," Fernandes said. "I want play for major competitions. I know I still can, and I want to be happy doing the thing I love the most. And for better or worse, I’m still very passionate about football. This is how I see football. This is how I see my life and my future, and I’m happy about the decision I made.”
Fernandes was speaking as a Portugal player before the team’s Nations League semifinal against Germany on Wednesday in Munich. The winner of that game will face either France or Spain in Sunday's final.
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The Associated Press
