Second agreement close as Man Utd set to seal £148m double deal

Manchester United are on the verge of agreeing a deal for Sporting Lisbon star Bruno Fernandes, according to one journalist.

The Portugal midfielder is a major target for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer this summer as he looks to overhaul a United squad that finished sixth last season.

Fernandes netted 28 goals and added 14 assists in an impressive campaign for Sporting during 2018-19, and Solskjaer seemingly sees him as the ideal man to bring creativity to their midfield.

The 24-year-old’s agent, Miguel Pinho, was expected in Portugal to present United’s latest offer to Sporting at some point on Tuesday – and they seem to be closing in on agreeing a fee.

Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio claims are claiming that United are ‘preparing to close the deal’ for Fernandes after having agreed an £85m fee for Harry Maguire too.

The midfielder – who is set to cost United €70m (£63m) – captained his current employers against Valencia on Sunday night on what appears to be his farewell appearance.

Sporting slipped to a 2-1 defeat to their Iberian rivals, but all eyes were on Fernandes, with the player standing in the middle of the pitch with tears in his eyes and surrounded by a portion of his teammates.

The Manchester Evening News were quick to dismiss Di Marzio’s claims about Maguire, insisting the two clubs are about £10m apart in their respective valuations.

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