So Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes transfer saga has come to an end.
The Portugal international was the subject of intense transfer speculation last summer, but a deal failed to materialise before the end of the deadline.
This month has seen the Red Devils step up their interest once more, and on Thursday, the club confirmed via their official Twitter account that they had completed a deal to sign the midfielder.
The finer points of a deal often don’t come to light, but The Times have provided a detailed breakdown of the kind of fees and clauses involved. A couple of the objectives appear fairly straightforward, with one such clause indicating that Sporting CP will receive €5m (£4.2m) if United qualify for the Champions League once in the next five seasons.
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However, two of them seem rather ambitious, with Sporting due €5m every time Fernandes wins the PFA Player of the Year award, or if he finishes in the top three of the Ballon d’Or (this is capped at three times so the limit for this add on is fixed at €15m).
After hearing about the financial details of the deal to sign Fernandes, United fans took to Twitter to voice their thoughts on the update.
Some fans of the Manchester side hailed Ed Woodward for his work in the terms of the deal.
A few supporters of the Manchester side revelled in the fact that Sporting got “played”, with one fan in particular wondering how the Portuguese side even went for the deal.
Make no mistake about it, United have done very well to put together such a deal. The clauses of Fernandes winning the PFA Player of the Year award, or finishing in the top three of the Ballon d’Or is essentially a win-win situation for the Red Devils.
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If they do end up paying the fee, then that will have meant Fernandes has proven himself to be an incredible signing. If they don’t, then it means United haven’t wasted yet more money on a player who has failed to deliver. The Manchester side should receive a lot of credit for the work they have done off the pitch here.
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