Revealing the inside story of Bruno Fernandes rejecting three Saudi offers, this season might be his last at Manchester United! Next year, he may consider joining Ronaldo.

According to the UK’s talkSPORT, Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes, who just turned 31, declined transfer offers from three Saudi clubs owned by the PIF sovereign wealth fund during this summer’s transfer window. However, if a similar opportunity arises next year, the Portuguese midfielder might accept it.

Before the Club World Cup, Bruno Fernandes was first strongly targeted by Al Hilal, with his agent Miguel Pinho traveling to Saudi Arabia for a week of negotiations. The player was attracted by the opportunity, but after consulting with his family, he decided to stay at Manchester United for at least another season.

Although joining a Saudi club doesn’t affect selection for the Portuguese national team — as shown by Ronaldo, João Félix, and Rúben Neves — Bruno feels staying at Manchester United during a World Cup year is a better choice. Especially since this might be his last World Cup, he wants to maintain peak performance.

Therefore, Al Hilal never submitted a formal transfer request to Manchester United. However, insiders confirmed that if Bruno had agreed to join, they were willing to pay over £80 million. All parties deny the existence of a £60 million release clause in Bruno’s contract; his transfer fee is at the club’s discretion.

By the end of July, Bruno received an informal offer from Al Nassr, where Ronaldo had already renewed his contract and was directly involved in the club’s transfer dealings. talkSPORT revealed that Bruno again expressed his desire to stay in Europe for another year and communicated this directly to Ronaldo.

Despite rejecting offers from the Riyadh rivals, Saudi league champions Al-Ittihad contacted him about two weeks before the European transfer window closed on September 1st.

However, the deal never came close to completion because Al-Ittihad’s foreign player slots were full. Unless a player leaves, they cannot sign European players, and this situation remains unchanged.

Throughout the summer, rumors circulated that Fabinho or even N’Golo Kanté might depart to make room for Bruno, but both players have stayed at their clubs.

Consequently, Al-Ittihad prioritized signing 19-year-old Portuguese winger Roger Fernandes from Braga, who fits the under-21 player quota, which the club still had available.

Although the Saudi transfer window lasts until the end of September, clubs generally consider September 1st as the effective deadline for signing European players, understanding that after this date, European clubs are unlikely to sell their top talents due to no replacement options.

Thus, even with time remaining before the Saudi window closes, Bruno will not leave Manchester United. Even if an unexpected offer arrives, the Portuguese stalwart’s decision to stay at Old Trafford for another year remains firm.

Nevertheless, he remains open to future agreements with the Saudi league, with negotiations planned to sign him in the summer of 2026. Manchester United might also consider selling their captain next summer, especially since they could bid over £100 million for Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba, necessitating funds.

Bruno publicly explained his reason for staying during the summer window: “There was indeed an opportunity,” he said. “The president of Al Hilal called me, asking if I wanted to go; they were waiting for me. I spoke with coach Amolin, who advised me not to go. Manchester United didn’t want to sell me; they said money wasn’t an issue, and if I wanted to leave, the club would have facilitated it.”

One scenario that might change Bruno’s mind next year is if Manchester United show remarkable progress and contend for the Premier League or even the Champions League title. The Portuguese stalwart might then consider staying to compete. However, this seems unlikely as Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s plan targets winning by 2028.