After sporadic claims in the summer, Manchester United were again dragged into the mix for Bruno Fernandes on January 9th.
Then on January 10th, TVI24, Record, A Bola, O Jogo, Mais Futebol, Observador, Tribuna Expresso, Jornal de Notícias and Diário de Notícias all had their own information about negotiations in London between officials of Sporting and the Red Devils for the 25-year-old.
Sporting president Federico Varandas was accompanied by sports director Hugo Viana for the trip to England.
Saturday’s edition of Jornal de Notícias claims Sporting are demanding €70m for the Portugal international, while Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side are trying to lower the asking price and also include a player as part of the operation.
A Bola have a different slant and they state United have not reached Sporting’s requirement of €70m and they want to send a few of their players in the opposite direction.
Marcos Rojo was discussed, but he doesn’t fit into Silas’ plans at Sporting and the centre-back’s wages are deemed too high by his former club. However, the Portuguese side only want €70m.
A Bola also mentions United are willing to offer a five-year deal worth €4m per season, which is likely to be after tax.
They end their report by stating ‘The business is progressing and at any moment can come to a good end, even if the lions want to count on the player in the League Cup semi-final [on January 21st…’
Over at O Jogo, they’ve gathered information from the meeting that took place in the English capital.
They claim several sources have informed them United have proposed a deal worth €70m, out of which €60m is fixed, to be paid in one or two years, plus €10m in variables.
O Jogo are of the belief that Sporting expect Fernandes to move to Old Trafford in the next few days. Therefore, the player will not be a part of Sporting’s preparation for the Benfica clash next Friday.
O Jogo’s claims have been relayed by Record and even they are reporting a deal of €60m fixed and €10m in variables. The fixed fee could be varied if United include a player as part of the deal. 
Manchester United’s sudden interest in Fernandes came after Solskjaer gave the ‘yes’ for his transfer.
The overall feel from various reports from Portugal is Sporting need €70m for Fernandes and his move to United could be completed in the coming days.
