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Good Morning Manchester United fans, and anyone else with a remote interest.

This is your Monday morning update of what is being said in Portugal about Bruno Fernandes potentially moving to Old Trafford.

First up, let us dismiss some things. Following the publication of their Sunday editions, there were no updates from the Portuguese newspapers on Sunday afternoon, despite claims on social media making it appear otherwise.

TVi24 has been getting a lot of attention, and whilst it’s fair to say they joined in with the big claims on Friday, it’s also correct to point out those crediting them with breaking the Ruben Neves, Ederson, and other big transfers are generally wrong.

Anyway, let’s get on with.

Monday’s edition of Record states the following:

  • United and Sporting remain at the negotiating table
  • Main terms of the agreement ‘already negotiated and understood’
  • Record ‘know’ United plan to make their proposal ‘official’ this week
  • Until it’s finalised, Bruno will remain entirely committed to Sporting, and is therefore being considered for Friday’s derby against Benfica
  • That can change if United’s proposal is formalised in the ‘coming days’
  • As it stands, and as was reported on Sunday, United would be guaranteeing Sporting €60m
  • The rest of the deal is still ‘under negotiation’ and will either be comprised of €10m in variables, or the inclusion of a player/players
  • Marcos Rojo is presented as being desired

Now over to O Jogo, who very much focus on the Manchester United defender.

  • €70m is the value of the ‘overall’ deal being discussed by the clubs
  • They also state that as it stands, those in charge at Sporting are planning for the Benfica match with Bruno in mind
  • The Lisbon club want Rojo as part of the deal
  • They’re concerned about the defender’s high wages, with the suggestion Manchester United will be asked to cover part of the salary
  • Should Rojo fail, another player could be used or extra money added to get to that €70m figure
  • O Jogo say Bruno doesn’t yet have the figures of his potential United contract, although it’s expected he’ll get a five and a half year deal on €4-5m a year, after tax
  • Sporting president Frederico Varandas wanted Bruno to play on Friday against Benfica, however, it’s accepted United may ‘put on the table the condition the player moves to Old Trafford immediately’ once an agreement is finalised

Over at A Bola, their headline reads: ‘Bruno has derby at risk (transfer to Man United imminent)’

A Bola go on to again use ‘imminent’ in their article, and further state:

  • The deal could be closed today, or ‘at the limit’ tomorrow, with talks to conclude the deal in the ‘next few hours’
  • The €70m, €60m and €10m figures are presented again, just like the other newspapers, along with Rojo
  • A Bola suggest that Bruno’s inclusion against Benfica on Friday could be at the mercy of Manchester United

A mixed bag, with A Bola seemingly seeing the timeframe as shorter than others, and that match against Benfica potentially being an irritant.

Generally, though, it’s positive.