Al-Hilal refuse to give up on Bruno Fernandes with a “new meeting” scheduled this week | OneFootball

Al-Hilal are refusing to give up on their ambitious pursuit of Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes with a meeting scheduled this week with the 30-year-old midfielder’s representatives, according to a report.

Ben Jacobs (Give Me Sport) reveals the Saudi Pro League side are “still in touch” with Fernandes’ camp and will set a one week deadline for a “final answer” from the United star after a “new meeting this week”.

Tweet: “Al-Hilal are still in touch with the Bruno Fernandes camp. There will be a new meeting this week, and Fernandes will be given just one week to give a final answer due to the urgency of Hilal lining up signings ahead of the Club World Cup.

“#MUFC’s position remains that Fernandes is not for sale, while the Manchester United captain has given no encouragement to date. He told Hilal last year he wanted to stay at United until at least after the 2026 World Cup.

“Hilal also have Aston Villa’s Youri Tielemans as another midfielder option on their radar and believe a €55-60m bid would be accepted.”

The reporter states Al-Hilal are pushing for a high-profile signing before the Club World Cup, which is set to begin on June 14.

Should their approach for Fernandes fail, Jacobs contends, then the club will target Aston Villa midfielder Youri Tielemans – himself linked with a move to Old Trafford – as they believe a bid worth between €55-60 million would be accepted for the Belgian international.

And Jacobs states United’s position on their talismanic captain remains absolute: he is “not for sale”.

This mirrors a report relayed by The Peoples Person that Fernandes is not for sale at “any price” despite officials at Al-Hilal believing their is a certain threshold a deal can be struck at, which could potentially break the British transfer record.

Fernandes is not thought to be open to an exit from the Red Devils as he is “content” at Old Trafford with Athletic reporter David Ornstein confirming the midfielder is “not interested” in a move to Saudi Arabia.

But this does not appear to have deterred Al-Hilal with fresh talks set to take place this week over a sensational summer switch, according to Jacobs.

Ruben Amorim, who is adamant he wants the club to keep the Portuguese international, has found success by redeploying Fernandes as a midfielder this season, but this has not prevented him from being the team’s most effective attacker.

Fernandes has scored 19 goals and provided a further 19 assists in all competitions this year. And in a abysmal season for the Reds, with the team languished in 16th in the league, the effect of these contributions has been the difference between survival in the Premier League and an unthinkable battle with relegation.

Fernandes is almost invaluable to United; and it appears no amount of money from the Middle East will come close to matching the indispensable nature of the club captain.

Featured image Shaun Botterill via Getty Images

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