It was reported earlier this week that contract talks between Bruno Fernandes and Manchester United were on hold.
They are expected to resume at the end of the season, having first been reported in July.
Fernandes laid on two assists in United’s 3-1 win at Brentford, to go with two goals at Aston Villa in the previous game, so it looks like his contract situation is not impacting his game.
Bruno is under contract until 2026, which explains why there is seemingly patience on both sides about getting a new deal signed.
The driver behind any new deal appears to be bringing Fernandes’ wages into line with other top earners at the club, to reflect his contribution to the side.
The Mirror report he is earning £100,000-a-week, but Cristiano Ronaldo is United’s highest earner on more than £400,000 per week, with David de Gea paid £375,000 per week.
Journalist Fabrizio Romano was asked for the latest on the situation on Rio Ferdinand’s Five YouTube channel, and said he is confident that Bruno will sign a new deal this year.
“He’s going to sign the contract,” said Romano.
“He’s going to sign. It’s going to take some time. They have been working on this since July. It was a bit slow because in the summer they did a lot of business, [Raphael] Varane, [Jadon] Sancho and [Cristiano] Ronaldo.
Then in the following months with the Ole situation, everything was a bit slow. But he wants to stay and Bruno is happy in Manchester.
“(United) know that they need to do it so they have been negotiating for a long time and I am sure that this year they will solve that issue. I am confident that he will sign.”
United look like losing Paul Pogba in the summer, when his contract runs out. Jesse Lingard is another midfielder whose deal expires at the end of the season, with no current prospect of him signing a new one.
Juan Mata and Edinson Cavani, as well as Lee Grant could also all leave when their contracts run out, so there could be a bit of change under the new long-term manager between now and next season.
But it is good news that Fernandes is seemingly planning to commit his long-term future to the club when the time is right.
His salary does deserve to be adjusted to reflect his contribution to the team since his arrival in January 2020, and he is also seemingly getting back to his best on the pitch too.
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