Al-Hilal CEO breaks silence on Bruno Fernandes bid after Manchester United star says no

Despite those setbacks, Calzada told the BBC that Al-Hilal remains undeterred: “I cannot confirm nor deny that we’ve been interested in him [Fernandes]. He’s a big player, it fits the profile of a player that we think would be good for Al-Hilal, just like many others. We’re not refraining from contacting players because we feel they would say no to us.

Man Utd missed the Saudi boom

Bruno Fernandes may have been a player the Saudi Pro League wanted, but United weren’t open to selling a stance that might come back to bite them financially.

Back when Cristiano Ronaldo joined Al-Nassr, Saudi clubs were handing out massive fees to bring in big names from Europe, even if the sporting fit wasn’t always clear.

During that period, a number of European sides managed to cash in on high earners who weren’t delivering taking advantage of the league’s need for star power.

But the landscape has changed. The Saudi clubs are more cautious now, and those kinds of easy paydays are harder to find. Players like Jadon Sancho or Casemiro would have been far easier to move a few years ago than they are today.

It’s just one more issue INEOS has inherited from the previous regime and another moment where United’s timing in the market has let them down. The club is now left with a bloated wage bill and few easy solutions.