Al-Hilal dismiss reports of renewed January move for Bruno Fernandes

Al-Hilal have no plans to make another attempt to sign Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes during the forthcoming winter transfer window, according to English journalist Ben Jacobs.

Writing on X, Jacobs said reports suggesting the Saudi Pro League club would revive their interest in the Portugal midfielder in January were inaccurate. He added that every foreign-player place in Al-Hilal’s squad is currently occupied.

The clarification followed reports that Al-Hilal were preparing a new offer worth up to 55 million euros to persuade Manchester United to sell their captain during the winter mercato. There has been no official confirmation of those claims.

Fernandes was one of Al-Hilal’s leading targets in the summer of 2025. The club tried to secure his signature before his participation in the FIFA Club World Cup, with an offer understood to be close to £100 million for Manchester United.

The proposed package also reportedly included wages of £700,000 a week for Fernandes. Despite the scale of the offer, the transfer did not go ahead.

Fernandes subsequently confirmed that he had received an approach from Al-Hilal. He also revealed that Fahad bin Nafel, who was the club’s president at the time, had contacted him personally to establish whether he would consider moving to the Saudi Pro League.