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Manchester United’s attempts to sign midfielder Bruno Fernandes from Sporting Lisbon could be thwarted by the Portuguese club’s valuation of him.
The Primeira club want £68 million for the Portuguese international, but United have only offered £39 million plus add-ons, and the two sides remain far apart in their valuation of the 25 year old. Hopes that he could be in the stands to watch their clash with Liverpool on Sunday have now receded.
Whilst the Premier League side still want to sign him, they will not be held to ransom over his price, and are prepared to away from the deal if necessary.
They are aware that, if they bow to Sporting’s demands now they are storing up future problems for themselves. Other clubs will inflate the price for future transfer targets in the same way, and United would become regarded as a soft touch when it comes to negotiations.
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.