Romano ‘clarifies two things’ after Bruno Fernandes ‘rejects’ Man Utd contract renewal
Transfer insider Fabrizio Romano has clarified ‘two things’ after rumours Bruno Fernandes has rejected a contract offer from Man Utd.
Fernandes admitted in December last year that it “hurt” him that Man Utd wanted him to leave for Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal in the last summer market.
Man Utd were tempted at the time to take the huge potential fee on offer but Fernandes decided against a move to Saudi Arabia.
Since then, it has become even more clear how important Fernandes is to Man Utd with the Portugal international contributing nine goals and 21 assists in his 35 Premier League appearances last season.
Fernandes has attracted interest this summer with the Daily Telegraph revealing recently that Galatasaray are willing to double his wages and offer Man Utd €50m for this services.
In response, Man Utd have reportedly offered Fernandes a new contract but the deal was apparently ‘rejected’, according to journalist Sacha Tavolieri.
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Tavolieri wrote on X: ‘Manchester United have offered Bruno Fernandes a new contract, but the Portuguese midfielder has rejected the proposal. The offer included only €500k more per year, which was not enough to convince Fernandes to extend. As things stand, Bruno Fernandes could leave Manchester United as a free agent next summer.’
But Romano insists that he wants to “clarify two things” on the latest contract updates around Fernandes as Man Utd continue to look to strike a deal.
Romano said on his YouTube channel: “Someone said that Bruno Fernandes rejected a contract proposal from Manchester United and that Bruno could leave on a free transfer in summer 2027. Let me clarify two things on this.
“First point, leaving on a free. Bruno is out of contract in 2027, but there is an option to extend the contract for one more season. So Manchester United are absolutely protected.
“The relationship between Bruno and Manchester United is still a very important relationship. Bruno is a United legend, a top player who will stay forever in terms of memory. To leave on bad terms is not Bruno Fernandes’ style.
“Second, it’s not about rejecting a contract. It’s about negotiating. That’s different. To say no and to say, ‘I want this, you want that, let’s try to find a solution’ are two different things.
“For sure, Bruno Fernandes and United, while I’m recording this video, don’t have an agreement on the new contract. But Manchester United and Bruno Fernandes are negotiating, and the negotiations are ongoing.
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“The relationship is very good. Bruno is not a normal player. Bruno is the captain of Manchester United. Manchester United are in love with Bruno. Manchester United are finally back into Champions League football and Bruno will be a big part of the squad.
“Michael Carrick believes Bruno is a very important player. So there is no reason to create panic or drama around this. There is a negotiation, there is a conversation. Let’s see how it goes.”
‘For sure, it’s an important moment’ for Man Utd and Fernandes
Romano added: “It’s about the salary. Don’t forget that Rashford returned to Manchester United, and so Rashford’s salary is obviously a point.
“Then there is the length of the contract. That’s an important point. And then there is the release clause, because Bruno has a release clause in his current contract at United of around €65m.
“Now they have to understand whether to keep the clause, remove the clause, change the numbers, when to activate it, how many years it is valid for. There are so many topics to discuss.
“That’s not an easy negotiation that takes five seconds to sign a new contract. Bruno is a fantastic player, but he’s no longer 20 years old. Every single contract now becomes important because it’s going to be one of the last two or three contracts of his career.
“For sure, it’s an important moment. That’s a negotiation. There is no need for panic or drama.”
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