Football Transfers & Rumours
Man United Ready Staggering £375,000-a-Week Contract Offer to Keep Bruno Fernandes
Brighton & Hove Albion v Manchester United - Premier League by Ash Donelon | Getty Images
Manchester United are preparing to reward skipper Bruno Fernandes with a staggering new £375,000-a-week contract as they look to tie down their talismanic midfielder for the long term, SportsBoom can exclusively reveal.
SportsBoom understands reports suggesting the Red Devils will delay talks until later this year are wide of the mark, with club chiefs determined to move quickly to secure the future of their most influential player.
Fernandes has enjoyed the finest campaign of his career at Old Trafford, inspiring United back into the Champions League and reaffirming his status as one of the Premier League's elite performers with an impressive third-place finish last season.
The Portuguese international smashed the Premier League assist record this season with an incredible 21 assists while also chipping in with nine goals as United secured long-overdue qualification for Europe's premier club competition.
His sensational form earned him both the Premier League Player of the Season award and the prestigious Football Writers' Footballer of the Year honour.
United view Fernandes as the heartbeat of the team and are eager to build their next era around the 31-year-old playmaker under new manager Michael Carrick.
DESERVED RISE
The club's proposed deal would represent a 50 per cent increase on Fernandes' current salary, believed to be around £250,000 per week, while also including a host of lucrative performance-related bonuses linked to Premier League titles, Champions League success and domestic cup triumphs.
Fernandes' current contract is due to expire at the end of June next year, but United, who have an option to extend the deal by a year, are confident a significantly improved package will persuade their captain to commit the remainder of his peak years to the club.
The Maia-born midfielder has attracted interest from across Europe, with a number of Premier League rivals monitoring his situation.
Wealthy Saudi Arabian clubs have also made no secret of their admiration for the United star, while several continental giants are known to have explored the possibility of luring him away from Manchester.
METEORIC RISE
Yet Fernandes has little desire to leave. The midfield maestro, who lives in nearby Alderley Edge, has become the focal point of life at Old Trafford and relishes his role as the club's leading figure both on and off the pitch.
Sources close to the situation indicate Fernandes wants to cement his legacy as one of Manchester United's modern greats and believes the club are finally moving in the right direction again.
With Portugal's World Cup campaign in America looming on the horizon, Fernandes is preparing for another huge year on the international stage.
But United are determined to ensure his future remains firmly in Manchester.
Carrick sees Fernandes as the pivotal figure capable of driving the club back towards major honours, and club chiefs are hopeful a blockbuster new deal will keep their creative force and inspirational captain at Old Trafford for another four or five years.
Editor's Insight
United are right to push hard to keep Fernandes; he remains their most reliable game-changer. The wage is huge, but replacing his output would be costlier. From a betting view, their top-four hopes improve if he stays, and his assist markets remain worth tracking.
Neil has been a journalist for longer than he'd care to remember, having written for national newspapers and respected publications for over 25 years. For the last three years he has worked freelance for BBC Sport, working on the production desk as a sub-editor and also as a writer, covering a whole range of sports.