Manchester United are closing in on a new contract agreement with captain Bruno Fernandes that would keep him at Old Trafford until 2029, FootballFanCast understands.
The Portuguese’s current deal, signed back in 2024, expires in 2027 with the club holding the option to extend it by a further year. But with talks progressing well, United are now looking at ripping up that arrangement altogether in favour of fresh terms that would commit their skipper to Old Trafford for years to come.
It would be fitting reward for a player who has been the one constant of quality throughout a turbulent period at United, scoring 111 times in 332 games at Old Trafford.
Fernandes has picked up the PFA Player of the Year award, broken the Premier League’s single season assist record and produced some unforgettable moments in a red shirt, most recently his stunning hat-trick against Ipswich.
Fabrizio Romano revealed this week that United were confident of getting a deal over the line, but that a sticking point remained over the terms of Fernandes’ release clause.
“There are several points, including the release clause. Bruno has a release clause in his current contract at United. They have to decide whether to include the clause or not, how much it should be and when it would be valid.
“So there are several points to clarify. That’s why there is still no agreement.”
Fernandes set to become United’s highest-paid player of all time
FootballFanCast sources understand a deal is now close, and it would see Fernandes become the highest-paid player in Manchester United’s history, as well as the second highest-paid player in the entire Premier League behind Manchester City’s Erling Haaland.
The contract on the table is a three-year deal running until 2029, with the club holding an option for a further year on top of that. It will include a release clause, with only the finer details left to iron out and an annoucement expected in the coming weeks.
|
Player |
Club |
Weekly wage |
|
1. Erling Haaland |
Manchester City |
£525k |
|
2. Virgil van Dijk |
Liverpool |
£350k |
|
=2. Enzo Fernandez |
Manchester City |
£350k |
|
=4. Jack Grealish |
Manchester City |
£300k |
|
=4. Bruno Fernandes |
Manchester United |
£300k |
|
=4. Bukayo Saka |
Arsenal |
£300k |
|
=4. Marcus Rashford |
Manchester United |
£300k |
|
=8. Phil Foden |
Manchester City |
£280k |
|
=8. Ryan Gravenberch |
Liverpool |
£280k |
|
=8. Alexander Isak |
Liverpool |
£280k |
|
=8. Kai Havertz |
Arsenal |
£280k |
The news will certainly be music to the ears of former striker Michael Owen, who believes United would be making a serious mistake if they let their captain slip away.
“Lots of people talk about ageing players and not giving them new contracts but I just think Bruno Fernandes is such an important part of Manchester United,” Owen told Metro.
“I don’t care about his age. If they lost him, then they’d take a massive, massive step back. Obviously, you’ve got to balance the books, the finances are important, but so are the stellar results and he is so important to them. Chelsea are buying players like Jordan Henderson and Danny Welbeck for experience. You look at certain teams that are doing poorly: no leadership, no experience in a team can have an adverse effect.
“So, as much as there’s been this massive drive in recent years to go and buy the next young player that brings you value for money and all the rest of it, I think teams have got to be a little bit careful about offloading some of the older players. I’m not talking about Fernandes in this situation, I’m just talking in general. I think you’ve got to be a little bit careful because you can soon be unpicked at the seams.
“But going back to Fernandes, he brings you that experience in the team and he brings you absolute quality in the team. There’s no questioning that. He’s not regressing in any way. So, if I was Manchester United, I’d be moving heaven and earth to try to keep him.”
The skipper will be 34 in summer 2029, but the new deal affords INEOS time to identify a long-term replacement.