Explained: Why £90m Bruno Fernandes transfer from Man Utd to Real Madrid is 'impossible'

Portugal international Fernandes remains a talismanic presence at Old Trafford, with leadership duties being taken on as club captain, but the Red Devils’ ongoing struggles for consistency as a collective are seeing questions asked of their skipper’s future.

At 30 years of age, Fernandes cannot afford to hang around in the hope that another rebuild delivers an upturn in fortunes for United. He has a contract until 2027, but that could be broken if the right offer is tabled. La Liga giants Real are reportedly mulling over their options.

It has been suggested that Los Blancos could launch a raid for Fernandes as they look to counter the imminent departure of Luka Modric – with 39-year-old Croatian set to see his deal at Santiago Bernabeu expire in the summer.

Real are, however, unlikely to spend big on a player of Fernandes’ age – regardless of his creative qualities – with journalist Paco Gonzalez telling Cadena COPE: “Today they published in England that Real Madrid wants Bruno Fernandes and has made an offer of £90m. He’s 30 years old, he’s very good. Maybe many teams ask for a pass to watch a game, but maybe it’s a scout that Real Madrid has for England or a man going to see someone else.

“But for a 30-year-old guy, Madrid paying 90 million, knowing the calculations Florentino Perez has in his head, that signings have to be paid off and they have to be young, seems impossible to me. If they’re free, I mean, if they arrive for free, yes. If not, well, no way.”

United would demand a sizeable fee for Fernandes if any sale were to be sanctioned, given his value to their cause, and it may be that their asking price prevents the Portuguese playmaker from taking on a new challenge and chasing down major silverware outside of Manchester.