Man Utd want to avoid Mohamed Salah mistake as major update on Bruno Fernandes contract emerges

Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes is well into the final year of his contract, and the club wants to avoid a key mistake in negotiations.

Fernandes was heavily linked with a summer departure from United, and Turkish giants Galatasaray were among several clubs willing to make an audacious bid for the 32-year-old.

But the influential Portuguese international insisted on staying at Old Trafford, six-and-a-half years after joining from Sporting Lisbon, and now the Red Devils are trying hard to secure his long-term future.

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Man United want to avoid Mohamed Salah mistake with Bruno Fernandes contract

Man United have been locked in discussions with Fernandes for a while, long before he set the record for most Premier League assists (21) in a single campaign.

The major issue United have had is deciding what terms to offer the midfield metronome. Fernandes turns 33 in September next year and is naturally going to see his performances decline as he ages.

In his current deal that expires in June 2027, the former Sporting Lisbon star holds a one-year option that will keep him at the club until June 2028.

According to TEAMtalk, the Red Devils are willing to offer their most influential player more security beyond that, with a deal potentially running until 2029 being put on the table.

Currently the second-highest earner at Old Trafford, behind only Marcus Rashford, Fernandes could seal an agreement that includes an appearance-based clause - as per the report - with the length of his contract potentially increasing depending on his involvement.

Most importantly, the midfielder's age is also a factor in negotiations. The Portuguese maestro would be almost 35 if he signs an improved deal until 2029, and the club are wary about how long he can continue to perform at the highest level.

Mohamed Salah is one of the biggest cases of a new contract instantly backfiring. He fired Liverpool to the Premier League title and then signed a two-year deal in April 2025 before watching his performances drop off in the blink of an eye last term.

Salah then departed Anfield on a free transfer in June before signing for Turkish side Trabzonspor. That is why United are reluctant to lock themselves into a long-term financial commitment in case his levels drop significantly in the coming years.

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What Bruno Fernandes has said about staying at Man United

After being named as the Football Writers' and PFA Player of the Year last term, he joined a list of United greats like Wayne Rooney, George Best, Sir Bobby Charlton, Cristiano Ronaldo, Teddy Sheringham and Roy Keane by winning the award.

Shortly after, Fernandes indicated his desire to stay at the club long-term and win more major trophies with the club, having already lifted the League Cup and FA Cup during his time at Old Trafford.

“I want to achieve everything that those players achieved in terms of winning with the club," he said in May.

"But being in their company with this award is massively important for me and I won’t hide from that. It will always be the prize for me. That’s always what my goal has been. I’ve never hidden from that. As I said before, I’m not very good at hiding things!

"I speak out whenever I want on what I want to achieve and what I want to achieve is winning the league and winning the Champions League.”

United's quest to win a trophy this season has admittedly started poorly after being knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Brighton and winning just one of their opening five Premier League matches.