Bruno Fernandes admits Tottenham were desperate to sign him before his move to Manchester United but says the club were unwilling to meet Sporting Lisbon’s asking price.
The Portugal international signed for the Red Devils for an initial £47million in the January window, in a transfer move that could eventually rise up to £68m.
United were interested in the signature of Fernandes last summer but baulked at Sporting Lisbon’s £75m asking price and chose to move on without him.
Sporting eventually dropped the valuation and allowed Bruno Fernandes to complete a ‘dream’ transfer move to Old Trafford.
However, Fernandes has revealed things could have turned out different had Mauricio Pochettino got his way in 2019 as Tottenham held talks with Sporting over his signature.
‘The first club that was close to signing me was Tottenham,’ Fernandes said on Instagram Live. ‘With Pochettino…But I don’t know maybe they thought the amount Sporting wanted was too much so in that moment Sporting decide they don’t want to sell.
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‘Tottenham came in the summer but Manchester [United] was in January. Maybe Tottenham came again in January but when I knew Manchester was interested I just wanted to talk to Manchester.
‘Manchester was my dream team in England so I am happy because I have the chance to go to a team that I always [dreamed about] you know.
‘At that time [last summer] it was Tottenham that was closer to me. There was other teams from France, one team from the Spanish league but for me when I talked the first team was Manchester.’
Though Solskjaer was keen on the playmaker last summer, the club had doubts about his ability to retain possession and questioned Sporting’s huge valuation.
However, Fernandes has put those doubts to bed following his impressive start at Manchester United but he conceded the Premier League side weren’t fully set on him last summer.
‘Manchester came in the summer but not like really wanting [to sign me] but in January Manchester United came and said: ‘We need you, we want you, you need to come’.
‘For me it was the best chance I have to move, the best club [offer] that I had to move and the best moment I could have. It was everything in the right moment.’
