Ben Fleming
Published February 14, 2026 4:08pm
Updated February 14, 2026 4:08pm
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Could one Manchester United star be on the move? (Picture: Getty)
Rene Meulensteen believes Bruno Fernandes could be tempted to leave Manchester United if an offer from Real Madrid and Barcelona came in the summer.
Fernandes has been in scintillating form since Michael Carrick’s arrival as interim head coach following the sacking of Ruben Amorim.
The Portuguese midfielder was deployed deeper in a midfield two under Amorim, but has reaped the rewards of his more advanced attacking midfield role under Carrick.
Only Erling Haaland (27) has more than Fernandes’ 18 goal involvements this season, but despite that, there is still an element of doubt over the 31-year-old’s long-term future at Old Trafford.
Fernandes is under contract at United until 2027 with the option of a further year, but reports suggest that the midfielder has a £56.6 million (€65m) release clause in his current deal, which can only be triggered by overseas clubs.
Real were previously credited with interest in Fernandes, and former United coach Meulensteen believes the Portuguese midfielder might jump at the offer if the Spanish giants tabled a bid in the summer.
Meulensteen told BetGoat: ‘I think he’s very connected to United and loyal.
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Bruno Fernandes has been linked with an exit this summer (Picture: Getty)
The United skipper has been in superb form since Michael Carrick’s arrival (Picture: Getty)
‘I think there might be a case where another team, perhaps in Saudi Arabia, comes knocking with a significant amount of money because we all know the money situation at United.
‘He’s committed quite some years now to United, and he is possibly their best player for the last six seasons. What he’s contributed, even in poor moments for United, he’s the one that constantly delivered.
‘If you ask me, if a team like Real Madrid or maybe Barcelona would come, he might be tempted to go and say, ‘Listen, I want to experience that.’
‘But not for another Premier League team.’
Despite being 31 years old, Fernandes’ output shows no signs of slowing down, with Danny Murphy recently labelling the midfielder as the best attacking midfielder in European football.
‘Bruno got his goal with a wonderful finish and topped off a brilliant performance, considering he actually had one of his poorer performances last week,’ Murphy told Match of the Day after United’s win over Tottenham.
‘I did the game against Fulham and he wasn’t at his best. But at the moment, he’s arguably the best No10 in Europe.’
And Michael Owen echoed Murphy’s sentiments, suggesting that Fernandes could prove ‘impossible’ to replace if he left United over the summer.
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‘If there’s going to be massive money that comes in, then it’s got to be a decision to be made,’ he recently told Metro. ‘He’s obviously on big wages as well. But if he goes, it’s going to hit them hard. They’ll have to replace him with somebody good.
‘Everybody is saying, ‘Oh, Manchester United are flying now, how many players do they need to get to the next level to maybe go and challenge for the title?’ when really, it’s how do they replace one or two that are going to go as well as adding to improve the quality.
‘It’s a real tricky one because he is so good you can understand if massive money comes for somebody of that age, why it could be something that Manchester United would look at.
‘But trying to replace him would be nigh on impossible. So it’s watch this space, really, but it’s a bit of a conundrum for everybody involved.’
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