Ruben Amorim’s stance on Bruno Fernandes exit as Real Madrid hatch transfer plan

Amorim is keen on retaining captain Bruno Fernandes at Old Trafford, despite reports linking the midfielder with a move to Real Madrid.

Since his arrival from Sporting Lisbon in 2020, Fernandes has been a crucial figure for Manchester United, contributing significantly to the team’s success.

The Portuguese playmaker has registered 177 goal involvements in 277 appearances across all competitions for the Red Devils, including 12 goals and nine assists in 27 matches under Amorim’s management.

However, according to the Daily Star, Real Madrid have expressed interest in the 30-year-old.

The report suggests that Madrid scouts have been closely monitoring Fernandes, attending nearly every recent United game, as they see him as a potential successor to Luka Modric.

Despite Amorim’s desire to keep his captain, financial considerations at United could lead the club to entertain a substantial offer.

“When we need it, he’s always there,” Amorim said of Fernandes after he scored a hat-trick as Man United knocked Real Sociedad out of the Europa League this month.

“In the set-pieces, he can change position, he can bring the ball forward, he can score goals, he can make transitions, like he showed today in the last 10 minutes of the game. He can defend so it’s a perfect captain for our team, and we need to help him to win titles, because he deserves a lot.”

United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe recently admitted the club have a number of players who are “not good enough” and “overpaid”, but said they “definitely need Bruno”.

Ratcliffe told the BBC : “If you look at the players we are buying this summer, that we didn’t buy, we’re buying Antony, we’re buying Casemiro, we’re buying Onana, we’re buying Hojlund, we’re buying Sancho.

“These are all things from the past, whether we like it or not, we’ve inherited those things and have to sort that out. For Sancho, who now plays for Chelsea and we pay half his wages, we’re paying £17m to buy him in the summer.

“Some are not good enough and some probably are overpaid. But for us to mould the squad that we are fully responsible for, and accountable for, will take time. We’ve got this period of transformation where we move from the past to the future.

“There are some great players in the squad as we know, the captain is a fabulous footballer. We definitely need Bruno, he’s a fantastic footballer.”

Fernandes did sign a new contract back in August, revealing that he had the chance to leave Old Trafford but ended up agreeing an extension as the club “showed that it needed me”.

“The club was aware that there was a possibility of me leaving, I had concrete offers,” he revealed. “But the club showed that it needed me, that it was at a time of change and that they wanted to do things differently.

“I believe there is a dream future at this club with the changes that are taking place. That’s why I chose to stay. There were other directions that would have been interesting for me, other expectations. But I feel good here, I feel loved and I feel that the club has been very respectful of me.”