Manchester United in contract renewal talks with key midfielder

Manchester United are looking to return to their status as one of England's more formidable sides, a notion that was held during Sir Alex Ferguson's reign at Old Trafford, when the Red Devils conquered Europe. But since the iconic Scottish manager stepped down 13 years ago, Manchester United haven't looked the same, which can especially be the case for the last three seasons, with the club finishing in 15th place during the 2024-25 season and 8th in the year prior.

But all of this struggle looked to go away last season when United appeared to be on top of all facets of their game, which was aided by two things, with the first being the arrival of Michael Carrick in January. Carrick, a former United figure having played 12 seasons at Old Trafford, took over the club following the sacking of Ruben Amorim, who struggled to get things going.

Across his 17 games at the helm, Carrick secured 39 out of a possible 51 points, which was enough to see the Red Devils return to the Champions League with a third-place finish in the English top flight.

The second key factor for their success was the stellar performance by club captain Bruno Fernandes throughout the campaign, recording 31 goal involvements across all competitions, with his 22 assists in the Premier League being the most recorded in a single season, surpassing the previous record of 20, which was held by Kevin De Bruyne and Thierry Henry.

These efforts would be enough to see the 31-year-old be named the 2025-26 Premier League Player of the Season, bringing the award back to Old Trafford for the first time since the 2010-11 season when Nemanja Vidic won it.

United in contract talks with Fernandes, amid Galatasaray's mouthwatering offer

Putting up numbers like that, it shouldn't come as any surprise to see teams around Europe showing interest in the Portuguese midfielder, which certainly applies to Turkish giants Galatasaray. The Cimbom reportedly offered Fernandes a contract worth $23.2 million, which has led the Red Devils to engage in contract talks with their star player, according to a report by The Athletic's Laurie Whitwell and David Ornstein.

The same report states that the Portuguese star isn't tempted by the Turkish side's offer, wanting to stay in the North West of England with the team that he's captained for some time now.

"Manchester United are in contract talks with Bruno Fernandes amid the player receiving a lucrative proposal from Galatasaray," states Whitewell and Ornstein. "The Turkish club offered the 31-year-old a salary of €20 million (£17.1m;$23.2m) a year, but Fernandes wants to remain at United and is in discussions about a new deal."

Fernandes' contract at Old Trafford is slated to expire in 2027, but there is a clause in his contract for an additional year of service, if triggered, according to the report. Given United secured some key talents to pair alongside the 31-year-old, with Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos moving into Old Trafford, the team is simply all hands on deck for their return to the Champions League.

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