Bruno Fernandes reveals Manchester United message as he explains Al-Hilal transfer snub | OneFootball

Red Devils captain speaks out on decision to reject lucrative summer move to Saudi Arabia in favour of Old Trafford stay

Going nowhere: Bruno Fernandes will remain at Manchester United after rejecting a move to Al-Hilal

Bruno Fernandes has revealed his reasoning behind the decision to snub a lucrative move to Al-Hilal in order to remain at Manchester United, insisting he wants to stay playing at the highest level.

The speculation only increased further over the weekend when Fernandes was spotted attending the birthday party of friend and long-time Portugal team-mate Joao Cancelo, the former Manchester City full-back who currently plays for Al-Hilal along with compatriot Ruben Neves.

A final decision from the Portuguese was expected this week on a move that would have reportedly been worth £700,000 a week tax-free and around £200million in total, in addition to netting United a transfer fee of £100m that would have provided a key boost with regards to their own ambitions to overhaul Ruben Amorim’s underperforming squad this summer.

However, it emerged on Tuesday morning that Fernandes had declined Al-Hilal’s final offer, with the 30-year-old explaining why he came to that difficult decision as he addressed the media later in the evening ahead of Portugal’s high-profile Nations League semi-final tie against Germany in Munich on Wednesday night.

"The president of Al-Hilal [Fahad bin Nafel] called me a month ago to ask about the possibility of me moving there," Fernandes told reporters, according to Portuguese outlet O Jogo.

"I had to wait a while to think about the future. As I've always said, I would be willing to do it if United thought it was best to move on.

"I spoke with Ruben Amorim, who really tried to talk me out of it. I spoke to the club, who said they weren't willing to sell me, only if I wanted to leave.

"From my side, it was a very ambitious proposal, the president was a fantastic person. I never talked about the money, it ended up coming up later, with my agent.

"I had to make the decision as a family and understand what I wanted for my future. That was the question my wife asked, what my professional goals would be. At no point did she say yes or no, she always supported me and put my professional side first.

"It was an easy move, even at a family level. I had Ruben Neves, Joao Cancelo. My children are used to playing with theirs.

"But I simply want to stay at the highest level, playing in the big competitions, because I still feel capable of that.

"I want to continue to be happy and do what I love most. I'm still very passionate about this sport. It's my way of seeing football and I'm happy with my decision."