Manchester United Sign Bruno Fernandes at Last
Manchester United have confirmed that they have struck a deal for Sporting Lisbon star Bruno Fernandes for £68m.
The deal is subject to a medical and the agreement of personal terms. move and the player has flown to Old Trafford.
A statement released by United on Wednesday afternoon read: ‘Manchester United is delighted to announce it has reached an agreement with Sporting Clube de Portugal for the transfer of Bruno Fernandes.
‘The deal is subject to a medical and the agreement of personal terms.'
Sporting posted a compilation of some of Fernandes' finest moments in their colours on their Twitter account.
They wrote: ‘Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them'.
‘Obrigado Capitao. Para sempre Leao (Thanks captain. Forever Lion)'
Assuming Fernandes passes his medical, he could feature in United's home Premier League fixture against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday evening.
The deal brings an end to the longest-running saga of the January transfer window.
Negotiations broke down between United and Sporting last summer over the valuation, and were in danger of doing so again this month with Sporting steadfastly sticking to their £67.8m for Fernandes who has established himself as one of the most prolific midfielders in Europe.
United refused to meet the asking price and there were concerns that the deal was on the verge of collapse.
However, United's stance paid off on Tuesday when they raised their offer slightly and Sporting accepted, ending the long-running transfer saga.
United were prepared for the negotiations to drag on until the final day and were surprised when the Portuguese club relented.
United will hope Fernandes, who scored 32 goals in all competitions for Sporting last season, will be able to add some much-needed attacking spark to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's midfield.
During his two-and-a-half years in the Portuguese capital, the 25-year-old has scored 64 goals and created more chances than any other player in the league.
Fernandes, who has 19 caps for Portugal, has won three domestic cups in his two full seasons with Sporting.
He began his senior career in Italian football with Novara, before joining Udinese and Sampdoria in Serie A.
