Fernandes reveals Tottenham deal collapsed in final days before United move in 2020

Bruno Fernandes has revealed that a transfer to Tottenham Hotspur came within two days of completion before Sporting CP pulled the plug, paving the way for his £67.6m move to Manchester United in January 2020.

Speaking on The Diary Of A CEO podcast, the United captain explained that Sporting’s late refusal to sanction a sale was the only thing that prevented him from joining Spurs. “Yeah, I spoke with Tottenham, and we were very close to getting an agreement done,” Fernandes said. “Then, in the last two days of the market, Sporting just said, ‘We’re not going to sell him. We’re going to keep him because we need him’.”

Tottenham had identified Fernandes as a potential replacement for Christian Eriksen as far back as the summer of 2019, alongside Giovani Lo Celso. Lo Celso arrived initially on loan before his deal was made permanent in January 2020, while Eriksen himself did not depart until the final days of that same window — a timeline that may have reduced Spurs’ urgency to push harder for Fernandes at the time.

Fernandes was candid about his desire to move to England regardless of which club it was. “I wanted to play in the Premier League because for me it is the best league in the world,” he said. “It’s the most competitive one. Obviously, I was lucky enough that my dream club to play in England was Man United, and obviously, Tottenham at the time was the option I had, and I was very, very happy to join them because they showed me the process that they were going through.”

Since arriving at Old Trafford, Fernandes has become one of United’s most influential players, setting a new single-season club record of 21 Premier League assists. The 31-year-old has also captained the side, though his tenure has not been without controversy.

The podcast, published on Monday, also saw Fernandes respond sharply to criticism from United legend Roy Keane, who described Fernandes as being at the centre of a “circus act” following United’s 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest on the penultimate weekend of the season. Fernandes accused Keane of “lying”, making his frustration with the Irishman’s remarks unmistakable.