The truth behind the rumor of Bruno Fernandes renewing with a £400,000 weekly wage revealed! Manchester United no longer faces a dilemma; keeping the captain is now inevitable.

Following Manchester United's 3-2 win against Arsenal, English media celebrated Bruno Fernandes' 10th assist, maintaining his lead in the Premier League stats. However, this particular "assist" was insignificant compared to his others, as he merely managed to deliver the ball near a teammate, with almost all the credit (99%) belonging to Patrick Doucoure. Nonetheless, this does not diminish Fernandes' importance to Carrick, with Danny Murphy even describing the superstar as Carrick's crucial aide in beating the Gunners, despite his understated appearance.

The British Daily Mirror reported that if Manchester United wants to keep Fernandes this summer, they must be willing to pay a hefty price. The 31-year-old Portuguese midfielder is considering his future and is expected to receive astronomical offers from other clubs, especially from the Saudi Professional League. English media say Fernandes will wait to see who the next manager is before deciding his future.

According to this report, Manchester United must meet two key conditions to retain Fernandes: first, qualify for the Champions League; second, offer him a new contract with a £400,000 weekly wage, making him the highest-paid player in the squad.

However, this is not a real negotiation tactic but rather the Mirror's own speculation. In fact, it is quite simple for Manchester United to keep Fernandes this summer because his contract runs until 2027, and the club holds a one-year extension option.

Therefore, Manchester United does not need to offer Fernandes £400,000 per week to keep him next season. Although the Portuguese "Iron Man" has a €65 million (£57 million) release clause for overseas clubs, his motivation is not solely about salary; otherwise, he would have left last year when Saudi owners offered £700,000 per week!

Manchester United certainly won't pay a nearly 32-year-old player £400,000 per week, but with Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos, Fernandes could become the top earner in the squad. Casemiro is confirmed to leave in the summer, and if Rashford is sold, Fernandes' current £300,000 weekly wage will automatically become the highest in the team.

If United renew Fernandes' contract, the only possible benefit might be to remove or raise his release clause. But given his age and salary, a new contract would likely mean he cannot be sold again, and Sir Jim has no reason to do that.

Manchester United also does not want to sell Fernandes this summer unless they choose a coach like Ruben Amorim who plays a 3-4-3 system. Otherwise, the club will opt to keep the captain. Finding a high-level player to replace his role would be a tough challenge. With the summer window focused on strengthening the defensive midfield, the transfer department prefers to avoid unnecessary complications.

After Carrick switched back to a 4-2-3-1 formation, Fernandes returned to the number 10 role. If Amorim continues as coach, replacing Fernandes after this season would make more sense because he does not fit the 3-4-3 system’s requirement for two central midfielders—he is strong offensively but lacks balance defensively.

If Manchester United can acquire two of Elliot Anderson, Adam Walton, and Carlos Baleba to play in front of Fernandes, the Portuguese midfielder can still maximize his impact.

Although he will turn 32 next season, Fernandes remains healthy and physically strong, capable of handling two matches per week with ease. Recently, he suffered a hamstring injury expected to sideline him for a month but returned after two weeks, highlighting his remarkable fitness.

Manchester United’s key to retaining Fernandes is not the salary but the sporting prospects. Since joining in 2020, he has only won two domestic cup trophies and naturally wants to achieve success in the Premier League and Champions League. As long as United build a more competitive squad, it is hard to imagine Fernandes requesting a transfer just because he didn’t get a £400,000 weekly wage. English media have already pictured him wearing the rumored blue away kit for next season, making his stay at Manchester United almost certain.