Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has revealed he spoke to Cristiano Ronaldo in the summer as he weighed up a mega-money move to Saudi Arabia.
In an extended interview with journalists ahead of his 300th appearance for United against Brighton on Saturday - live on Sky Sports - Fernandes explains that he always wanted to stay at Old Trafford amid the £100m on offer from Al Hilal.
The Portugal midfielder, who has two years left on his United contract, also insisted that he knows nothing of an agreement for him to move to Saudi next summer and says talks with his agent are on hold until after the World Cup.
Fernandes is focused on bringing major silverware to Old Trafford to add to his Carabao Cup and FA Cup successes - and says he still hopes to win the Premier League and Champions League at United as he prepares to celebrate a huge landmark with the club.
In this extended interview, the 31-year-old also talks about:
- What Cristiano Ronaldo told him to do over Saudi move
- Decisive talks with Jason Wilcox and Omar Berrada in Malaysia
- Competition with Kobbie Mainoo
Fernandes on his 'dream' move to Old Trafford
"It was a dream to play for this club," says Fernandes ahead of that landmark appearance.
In his 299 games, Fernandes has 187 goal contributions - 100 goals and 87 assists - a truly impressive record when you consider the highs and lows United have experienced in the nearly six years since he joined in January 2020.
In that time, Fernandes has only missed eight games in the Premier League: three through suspensions, and the other five down to minor injuries and being rested.
Few can forget how he hit the ground running in his debut Premier League season, scoring eight goals and setting up seven more in his first 14 games.
"I don't know how I did it did, some people get more difficulties," Fernandes said. "I was just hungry enough to do everything because for me, the first chance was the last one so I had to make it.
"There was nothing else in my head than making it in the Premier League, because it was my dream to play for this club for many years and when I got the chance I couldn't waste it."
For United, their ambition as a club is to win the Premier League by 2028, a target they have not been shy of making public. Fernandes, already a Carabao Cup and FA Cup winner as captain, shares that ambition.
"Every season I come back, I always have the belief that we can achieve something," he said.
"Everyone knows my aim is to win the Premier League and the Champions League."
Turning down Saudi and talks with Ronaldo
Last summer was eventful for the United captain. He was the subject of huge interest from Saudi Arabia, specifically Al Hilal, who were ready to bid £100m for him.
"I had conversations with Al Hilal, everyone is aware of that - from Europe I had some people talking to me but we never got into the place where we would have offers on the table or not," Fernandes said.
"I spoke with both [director of football Jason Wilcox and CEO Omar Berrada]. I think we were in Malaysia, that was when everything started.
"I told Omar, 'Look, this is what is on the table, I know the club might be looking at this in a way and I will be looking at it differently - so I just want to know your perspective'.
"Jason, like Omar, said 'we won't say no but we want you to stay at the club. If you want to go, we won't say that it's not the offer for us because obviously it's massive money'.
"I spoke with the manager and he said to me 'no, we want more players to help you to become a better team so we don't want you to go - if we bring some people and then we lose you - we're still going to lose together'.
Fernandes had also sought the advice of Portugal team-mate Ronaldo, who plays in Saudi Arabia for Al Nassr. "I spoke with Cristiano about the situation, Saudi and everything.
"I wasn't eager to move to Saudi because I wanted to stay at the club - but Cristano told me his opinion on what I should do. It was important for me obviously with all the experience he has and everything - it was important for me to hear what he thought."
Fernandes also reiterated that he has no agreement to move to Saudi Arabia next summer after denying the reports when on international duty with Portugal earlier this month.
"As I've always said, I feel good here, I want to achieve my dreams still but obviously I can't talk [for] the club - I've seen a lot of news, I've seen people talking that I had an agreement to go already next season. If the club has done that agreement, it wasn't made with me.
"My agent knows how I work, so if he wants to talk to me it will be after the World Cup because until then, I won't speak to anyone."
Competition with Mainoo
Fernandes is now 31 and remains one of the most creative forces in the Premier League, but he is reaching a crucial stage in his career ahead of the World Cup in 2026.
"I can't tell how long I will be [capable] of doing it," Fernandes said.
"You have to be able to run, at the highest level there's so much difference to when I started playing - I had players that played with me that could run six or seven kilometres a game and would be top still.
"Nowadays, if you run less than nine or 10 kilometres, I would say you're really down on your numbers already. I'm lucky enough to be very [capable] of running and to deal with the demands of the manager, of the league and everything."
Fernandes' continued impressive form is keeping Kobbie Mainoo out of the team at Old Trafford and the captain says he is pleased to have such a talented player spurring him on.
"I want to have the best competition to play in my position - for example, Kobbie Mainoo is competition because he is very capable of doing what I can do in a different way. If you look at his numbers, Bruno is capable of scoring goals, Kobbie is more capable of taking on people.
"I like the competition and the fact of having Kobbie that is very young but capable of playing high-level football… it makes me improve, he makes me a better player."
