Bruno Fernandes reveals Benfica talks, drags Rui Costa into the mix | OneFootball

Bruno Fernandes brought to light an unknown story from the transfer market. The current Manchester United midfielder revealed that Benfica attempted to sign him in the recent past, sharing details about the conversations held. The Portuguese international explained how everything transpired and recounted a dialogue with Rui Costa. Check out the latest information on the Vangelis Pavlidis process.

The approach came after the 2018 World Cup, but the response was unequivocal: “There was that possibility. Benfica wanted it, but from the very first moment, I said I wouldn't do it. My agent came to me with that possibility, but I always said no. If I stayed in Portugal, I would stay at Sporting.”

The proposal presented by the Eagles was substantial: “Financially, it was very tempting. I believe that, even to this day, few players have received the offer I had, financially speaking. It was a much better contract than the first one I had here at Manchester United. Benfica was offering me more.”

The context of rivalry weighed on the athlete's decision: “A few years ago, Sporting had taken a player from Benfica, and this was a bit of pay-back, and I don't want to be part of these plots, that's not for me. If Benfica wanted me, they should have bought me the year before".

Finally, Bruno Fernandes recalled a curious episode with the current Benfica leader: “Once I ran into President Rui at Estádio da Luz, and he said to me: 'you always score goals in this stadium'. And I said: 'you guys are the ones who didn't want me'”. The official's response was immediate: “'Oh, we wanted you', to which I replied: 'yes, but by then it was too late'. You should have wanted me earlier.”

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.