Ruben Neves makes feelings clear about Bruno Fernandes joining Al-Hilal amid Manchester United exit rumors

Ruben Neves is ready to welcome Manchester United skipper Bruno Fernandes to Al-Hilal this summer. The 30-year-old's future at Old Trafford is subject to speculation amid an intense pursuit from the Saudi Pro League side.

Fernandes has been indispensable for the Premier League giants since arriving from Sporting in January 2020. The Portuguese midfielder has been a rare shining light in a dismal 2024/25 campaign for Manchester United.

Ruben Amorim's team finished 15th in the league table, while also losing 1-0 to Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League final. Bruno Fernandes, however, ended the season with 19 goals and 20 assists from 57 games across competitions.

Recent reports have suggested that Al-Hilal are close to convincing him to move to the Middle East this summer. Neves, who left Wolverhampton Wanderers in the summer of 2023 to move to the Saudi Arabian club, has now shed light on the matter.

Speaking recently, as cited by O Jogo, the 28-year-old was full of praise for his national teammates.

"I recommend any player who is in the National Team. We have launched a lot of talent. We are lucky in that aspect. A small country, but with excellent players, just yesterday four won the Champions League. That makes any child dream. I would like to have any player from the national team in my team," said Neves.

Al-Hilal are willing to offer Manchester United £100m for Bruno Fernandes this summer.

Have Manchester United completed their first signing of the summer?

Manchester United have announced the arrival of Matheus Cunha from Wolverhampton Wanderers. The Brazilian forward was heavily linked with a transfer to Old Trafford in recent weeks, and the club has now moved quickly to complete the deal.

Cunha caught the eye with the Midlands club this season, registering 17 goals and six assists from 36 games across competitions. It is believed that the 25-year-old could be a fine fit in one of the No. 10s in Ruben Amorim's 3-4-3 system.

The Portuguese head coach is eager to upgrade his attack after a poor campaign where the team scored just 44 goals in 38 Premier League games. A report from Sky Sports has stated that the Red Devils have triggered Cunha's £62.5m release clause. Manchester United initially wanted to pay the amount in five instalments, but had not agreed to complete the payment in three instalments by the summer of 2027.

About the author

Deepungsu is a veteran football journalist who has been covering daily transfer roundups and news for over six years at Sportskeeda. He has written over 9000 articles for the website, and has garnered close to 20 million reads.

Deepungsu holds a PG degree in Microbiology and an MBA degree in Total Quality Management. He has an extensive two-decade long writing experience, which includes a decade of sports blogging. His writing prowess has even led his work getting cited on the legendary Franz Beckenbauer's Wikipedia page.

Inspired by Diego Maradona, Deepungsu played as an attacking midfielder for his local club at subdivision level in his initial years and scored an important goal or two. However, his all-time favorite footballer is Lionel Messi, and evidently, he feels Argentina's glory in 2022 is his favorite FIFA World Cup moment for fulfilling his long-standing dream. He is also an ardent East Bengal fan.

Deepungsu has been a Manchester United supporter since the year 2000. Unsurprisingly, his favorite manager is Sir Alex Ferguson and the Scotsman helped him get through some of the toughest days of his life. Like the fiery Scot, Deepungsu also leaves no stone unturned when it comes to accuracy in articles and only relies on credible sources.

Despite believing in Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland to create an iconic rivalry, Deepungsu reckons no one can match the longevity of Messi and Ronaldo. He spends his leisure time writing about life on his blog, reading books, and playing the guitar.

Know More

Edited by Vaishnavi Iyer