Bruno Fernandes: Manchester United Star Rejects Crazy Saudi Arabian Offer From Al Hilal
- Bruno Fernandes has rejected a lucrative offer from Al Hilal, choosing to remain in Europe instead
- The Saudi Arabian side had pulled out all stops to ensure they land the Manchester United captain ahead of the Club World Cup
- We break down the salary details Fernandes would have gotten if he had taken the deal, which includes KSh 196 per second
Bruno Fernandes has turned down a huge offer from Al Hilal to remain at Manchester United.
Source: Getty Images
Why Bruno Fernandes turned down Al Hilal
Fernandes had been the subject of intense transfer speculation from Saudi Arabia and was widely expected to be the latest high-profile player to move East.
Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has now confirmed that the Manchester United skipper has decided to turn down the lucrative offer.
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"Despite a crazy contract proposal from the Saudi Pro League club, Bruno Fernandes wants to continue playing football in Europe. Man United captain wants to play at the top level in Europe. Decision made."
Further reports indicate that Fernandes made the decision after consulting his family.
Why Al Hilal wanted Bruno Fernandes
The Blue Waves are desperate to sign a marquee star after the departure of Neymar. The Brazilian's time in Saudi Arabia was hampered by constant injuries before a decision was made to terminate his contract.
Initially, Al Hilal wanted Mohamed Salah, who was on the tail-end of his contract at Liverpool, but the Egyptian made a u-turn and put to paper a new two-year deal to stay in Merseyside.
After missing out on the Saudi Pro League title, Al Hilal are keen on bolstering their squad ahead of the FIFA Club World Cup. They will play the record European champions Real Madrid, Mexican side Pachuca and Austrian side RB Salzburg in Group H.
Source: Getty Images
Inside Al Hilal's crazy offer to Bruno Fernandes
To lure Fernandes, Al Hilal were ready to make the 30-year-old one of the best-paid players in the world.
He currently earns £250,000 per week at Manchester United, and Al Hilal offered a mammoth £700,000 per week in a three-year deal.
Let's break it down.
£700,000 (approximately KSh 122m) per week translates to £100,000 (approximately KSh 17m) per day.
This means that Fernandes would have raked in £4100 per hour (approximately KSh 715,000), £68 per minute (approximately KSh 11,800), which comes down to around £1.12 approximately KSh 196) per second.
As if that's not crazy enough, no income tax is levied on footballers' salaries in Saudi Arabia, which means the amount offered by the club would be tax-free. The United Kingdom has a standing tax rate of up to 47%, as reported by The Athletic.
What did Bruno Fernandes say about leaving Manchester United?
Fernandes opened the door to his departure after the Europa League final loss to Tottenham, but left it to the club to decide.
"’I've always said I will be here until the club says to me that it’s time to go. I’m eager to do more, to be able to bring the club to great days. If the club thinks it’s time to part ways because they want to do some cash in or whatever, it’s what it is, and football sometimes is like this," he said.
Manchester United's transfer plans
The Red Devils have already completed a move for Matheus Cunha. The club parted with £62.5m after triggering the Brazilian's release clause from Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Bryan Mbeumo is also on the club's radar after it emerged that the Cameroon international will prefer a move to Old Trafford.
Brentford are expected to accept a bid of not less than £60m for the winger.
There are also a couple of departures expected for returning loanees like Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Antony.
Antony opens up on Man United struggles
In a separate story, Antony opened up on his challenges at Old Trafford.
The former Ajax winger was brought to tears when recalling his time at Man United before he was loaned out to Real Betis.
He revealed he went days without eating when times got difficult and told his brother he couldn't take it any more.
Proofreading by Mercy Nyambura, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
