Man Utd superstar tipped for Saudi exit with ‘concrete steps’ being made for 2024 transfer

Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes is the latest Premier League star who has been linked with a move to the Saudi Pro League.

Plenty of high-profile footballers from around Europe made the jump to Saudi Arabia in the summer as highly lucrative contracts were being handed out.

Indeed, former Man Utd star Cristiano Ronaldo set the trend for players to make the jump to Saudi after his eyebrow-raising move in January 2023.

Plenty of top stars have followed him since as the likes of Neymar, Karim Benzema and Riyad Mahrez are also among the stars playing in the league.

The growing interest in football from Saudi Arabia doesn’t seem to be going away any time soon either, especially as they recently won the rights to host the 2034 World Cup.

Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah has been heavily linked with a move to Al-Ittihad and Fernandes could be another Premier League star to make the jump in 2024.

According to Rudy Galetti, the PIF is already taking some ‘concrete steps’ ahead of the next summer transfer window for Saudi clubs.

The transfer expert then named Fernandes as one of the targets who is currently under consideration. Fernandes is tied down to a long-term deal at Old Trafford until 2026, with the option of an extra year.

Galetti claims that Saudi representatives are ‘set to contact and meet his entourage to explore the room of negotiation.’

Should Man Utd cash in on Fernandes?

The Portuguese playmaker currently ranks among the highest-paid players in the Premier League. According to Capology, he is currently earning £240,000 per week at Old Trafford.

While this is a huge sum of money, he would be able to earn significantly more by making the move to Saudi Arabia.

As Man Utd have struggled to find much form this season, Fernandes has come under fire from several pundits throughout the campaign so far.

He did score a late winner in Man Utd’s latest triumph against Fulham, although he’s not quite been at his usual level during the season so far.

Erik ten Hag clearly rates the 29-year-old as he made the decision to hand him the captain’s armband in the summer. Fernandes rarely misses a game under Ten Hag and the Dutch boss was full of praise for the midfielder after his goal against Fulham.

“It is always about moments,” Ten Hag told reporters. “Players have to realise that. This is the right answer to give.