Man Utd 'hold Bruno Fernandes transfer meeting' as Saudis return for captain

Al Nassr are reportedly eyeing a big-money move for Manchester United skipper Bruno Fernandes. The midfielder has been linked away from Old Trafford already this summer when Al-Hilal pushed for the playmaker but saw an £86million swoop fail. Fernades ultimately opted against heading to the Middle East but that has not put off another Saudi Pro League preparing a lucrative offer to reunite with a familiar face.

According to TEAMtalk, Al Nassr have shortlisted Fernandes as one of their top targets for the remainder of the summer after manager Jorge Jesus 'personally requested' that his side make a move for the Red Devils skipper.

Al Nassr sporting director Simao Coutinho is said to have met with United's director of negotiations Matt Hargreaves to discuss the possibility of signing Fernandes, though it is unclear how advanced those talks were.

If a deal were to be agreed, the ex-Sporting star would link up with a host of his international team-mates, including Otavio, Joao Felix and, most notably, Cristiano Ronaldo. Former Liverpool star Sadio Mane also remains at the club, as well as Aymeric Laporte - although the Spaniard is looking to depart, with a return to Athletic Bilbao being considered.

United are likely to demand a significant fee to part ways with their No. 18, especially with the new Premier League campaign on the horizon. But his departure would grant them significant spending power in the market to replace him.

However, it is unclear whether Fernandes would even entertain the prospect of playing his football outside of Europe. After snubbing Al-Hilal previously, he said: "Manchester United said they didn't want to sell me. They said if I wanted to go I could, but they didn't need the money. I spoke to coach Ruben Amorim who, throughout that period, he was pushing for me not to go.

"I want to play at the highest possible level. I want to play major competitions. I know I still can and I want to be happy doing the thing I love the most. For better or worse, this is how I see football and I'm passionate about football and this is the decision I've made."