Bruno Fernandes to Tottenham £54.6m transfer bid truth as Man Utd consider dramatic exit

No player at Manchester United is safe. that much is clear with the news that could be set to make a shock exit this summer.

The Portuguese has been Manchester United's best player in a dismal season and is often the go-to guy at Old Trafford. When everyone else around him is struggling, he normally steps up to the plate.

And ahead of a summer which could see huge upheaval at Manchester United, with Harry Maguire admitting "a lot of players will leave", was one of the stars many would have expected to stay.

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However, reports suggest that Saudi Arabian Club Al-Hilal have made a move to sign the midfielder and that the player is seriously considering a transfer away from Old Trafford, while United are open to selling at the right price.

joined United in the January transfer window in 2020, completing a deal worth up to £67.6million. But he could have ended up at prior to that United move.

had identified Fernandes as a potential signing in the summer of 2019 and came close to securing a deal, with interest still there in January 2020 when United eventually sealed the deal.

As football.london reported back then, the club's hierarchy saw Fernandes and Giovani Lo Celso as both being replacements for the outgoing Christian Eriksen.

Lo Celso came in, initially on a season-long loan deal, although that was made permanent in January, with Eriksen not leaving until the closing days of the January transfer window in the end. And the fact that Eriksen did not leave in the summer could have stopped from going all out for Fernandes.

Fernandes admitted a deal had been agreed with Spurs, saying: "In the summer I thought I could go out. I believed it was a good time to leave due to many factors. I made the best time of my career to date.

"After the UEFA Nations League there were already many contacts, especially with Tottenham. It was the team that wanted me the most and was the only one I agreed to talk with, because there were other clubs that didn't interest me or whose project was not up to my expectations.

"Tottenham fit into everything I wish I had at that moment. It is an appealing championship. Knowing that Tottenham would be willing to pay for me and make every possible effort to take me, leaves a player eager to take that step."

However, the deal appears to have broken down due to the add-ons Daniel Levy wanted to insert into the deal to sign him.

Speaking to the , Sporting CP president Frederico Varandas said: "It was 'impossible' to retain Bruno Fernandes, but we did it. We prepared for his sale by putting a fair price on his worth, and we had bids, but only a Tottenham one that was €45million (£37.8million) plus €20million (£16.8million) in objectives - winning the English League and the Champions League.

"Finding these goals difficult, I understood not to accept.

"The day I turned down the Tottenham proposal, I came to the academy and talked to him, told him why I declined and why he would stay here until the end of the market and he understood perfectly."

It seems he was right, given Spurs have not won the Premier League or the Champions League in the time since Fernandes' missed transfer. Spurs did, however, win the Europa League, beating Fernandes' Man Utd in the final last week.