Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has now rejected a mega-money move to Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal but they could still cause the Red Devils an issue
Al Hilal could be set to disrupt Manchester United's summer transfer plans - despite being rejected by Red Devils skipper Bruno Fernandes. The Saudi Pro League side have spent several weeks working on a deal for the 31-year-old attacking midfielder but they have now been snubbed by Fernandes, who wants to continue playing in Europe.
Al Hilal were prepared to pay eye-watering cash to get a deal over the line before the Club World Cup but they have now been forced to move onto other targets and one of the names that is now of key interest is Ederson of Atalanta, who has been courted by United. Ruben Amorim is keen to strengthen his options in the middle of the park but United have prioritised reinvigorating their attack during the opening stages of the summer window.
A deal for Wolves' Matheus Cunha has been completed while a move for Brentford winger Bryan Mbeumo is now gathering pace after he approved a switch to Old Trafford. But once United have made some sales, they plan to make notable changes to Amorim's midfield and Ederson is a name of huge admiration.
United are among a list of top European clubs to have held talks with the player's agent Andre Cury in the past few months. Manchester City have also shown an interest in the 25-year-old, who is valued at around £50m, however, Al Hilal are now considering a move of their own and they are armed with big money.
The winds of change are beginning to sweep through the Saudi Pro League club and they're currently in deep discussions with Inter Milan boss Simone Inzaghi about replacing Jorge Jesus following his departure in early May.
There has also been interest in Bournemouth's Andoni Iraola and Fulham's Marco Silva but both head coaches politely rejected the advances. Meanwhile, Al Hilal are also working on a deal for AC Milan left-back Theo Hernandez and there is also admiration for Aston Villa duo Youri Tielemans and Amadou Onana.
Newcastle midfielder Bruno Guimaraes is also popular at Al Hilal but he's expected to stay at St James' Park this summer after they secured Champions League qualification for the second time in three seasons.
Al Hilal are determined to add some star quality to their ranks ahead of the Club World Cup where they'll face Real Madrid, Red Bull Salzburg and Mexican outfit Pachuca in the group stages.
Last week, deals were in the pipeline for both Cristiano Ronaldo and Fernandes but both deals now look off with Ronaldo poised to sign a new contract with Al-Nassr.
Serbian striker Aleksandar Mitrovic is among those that could depart the Middle East club this summer as they target high-profile changes to their squad.
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