Greenwood's £47.5m Fenerbahce move could spark Man Utd reunion with Fred

Mason Greenwood’s proposed move to Fenerbahce is gathering momentum after Aziz Yildirim was re-elected as the Turkish club’s president on Sunday, with a £47.5m deal for the Marseille forward still on the table — one that would also reunite him with ex-Manchester United team-mate Fred.

Yildirim returns to the Fenerbahce presidency after an eight-year absence, reclaiming the role from a field of candidates that included Hakan Safi, who had been the most vocal advocate of signing Greenwood. Safi went as far as claiming a four-year agreement had already been secured with the England-born forward, contingent on his own election victory. Reports in recent weeks had also suggested Yildirim himself was supportive of the pursuit, though it remains unclear whether he will push the deal over the line.

Should the transfer proceed, Manchester United would receive approximately £19m from the arrangement, thanks to a 40 per cent sell-on clause embedded in Greenwood’s Marseille contract.

The prospect of a Greenwood–Fred reunion adds an intriguing subplot to the saga. The two players appeared together on 92 occasions across four seasons at Old Trafford, winning 49 of those matches and losing just 17. Among all of Greenwood’s career team-mates, only Harry Maguire (107 games) and Aaron Wan-Bissaka (101) have shared a pitch with him more often. The pair also featured in the same United side that reached the Europa League final in 2021, finishing as runners-up.

Fred, now 33, joined Fenerbahce in 2023 and has become a central figure at the Istanbul club, making 125 appearances in three seasons — averaging more than 40 per campaign. He was part of the squad that claimed the Turkish Super Cup last year.

For Yildirim, the immediate priority is restoring Fenerbahce to Super Lig glory; the club has not won the Turkish top-flight title since 2014 and has finished as runners-up in recent seasons. Whether Greenwood is part of that project will likely become clearer in the coming weeks as the new presidential administration takes shape.