Bruno Fernandes future remains unresolved as Manchester United weigh contract options

Manchester United remain determined to keep captain Bruno Fernandes despite the Portugal international rejecting two offers to extend his contract, with the player approaching the final six months of his current deal.

According to The Sun, the club remain confident they can reach an agreement with the 32-year-old, despite the negotiations failing to produce a breakthrough so far. United believe there is still sufficient time to resolve the situation.

The club have an option to extend Fernandes’ contract by a further year and are expected to activate it before 1 January. Doing so would prevent the midfielder from reaching a preliminary agreement with a club outside England.

The extension would leave Fernandes tied to Manchester United for up to another 18 months, giving the club more time to address the differences between the two sides while talks continue.

A source close to Fernandes said: “We will reach an agreement in the end.”

Sources within Manchester United have also played down concerns about the current impasse, saying it is normal for representatives to reject initial proposals during contract negotiations.

Fernandes joined Manchester United in January 2020 and has since won the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year award a record five times.

He was named the Professional Footballers’ Association and Football Writers’ Association player of the year for last season. However, his form has declined noticeably during the current campaign, as United have also struggled.

The midfielder went two and a half months without scoring in the Premier League before ending that run with a penalty against Aston Villa last week.

Former manager Michael Carrick left Fernandes out of the squad for the heavy 3-0 home defeat by Bournemouth. That decision came after Fernandes criticised Carrick’s tactical ideas following United’s 4-1 loss to Como in the Champions League three weeks earlier.

Fernandes was also the subject of an offer from Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr in 2025. Manchester United were prepared to approve a deal that could have been worth up to £100m in total.

However, former United manager Ruben Amorim persuaded Fernandes to stay, while the club took steps during the previous season to prevent his departure in the summer transfer window.

Fernandes signed his most recent improved contract with Manchester United in August 2024, receiving a significant increase in salary.

One current point of disagreement is that Fernandes, widely regarded as United’s best player, is not the club’s highest-paid player following Marcus Rashford’s return.

Rashford came back after loan spells with Aston Villa and Barcelona and earns £325,000 a week. Fernandes receives about £250,000 per week.