BBC Sport report claims Man Utd will not pay asking price for Bruno Fernandes

A worrying update on Manchester United’s pursuit of Bruno Fernandes has emerged.

The Sporting Lisbon playmaker has been strongly linked with a move to Man Utd this month, but BBC Sport claims attempts to bring Fernandes to Old Trafford have stalled because both clubs can’t come to an agreement on the transfer fee.

Sporting are said to be demanding €80m (£68m) for the 25-year-old, who played a wonderful defence-splitting pass last night against rivals Benfica, and United are unwilling to pay.

READ MORE: Sporting Lisbon manager drops Premier League hint when asked about Bruno Fernandes’ future

The report states that talks over the transfer will continue, though it doesn’t sound like the Portuguese club are budging on their valuation of the player.

With United in need of midfield reinforcements, this is not the update we expected as a deal between both clubs looked close.

The Telegraph’s James Ducker suggests Fernandes is keen on joining United. That means Sporting manager Silas has a difficult task on his hands to keep his captain happy should the club block the midfielder’s switch to Old Trafford.

There’s a good chance Team Woodward are leaking that this is all Sporting’s fault. How dare they not accept United’s apparent best offer!

United fans around the world tuned into Free Sports as the channel showed Sporting’s predictable defeat against Benfica last night. They were keeping a close eye on one of the club’s top targets in the January transfer window.

Portuguese newspaper Record explains Sporting are pushing for a fixed amount in cash, whereas United want a deal to be based on bonuses. We don’t know what those bonuses are but if they include United winning the Premier League and Champions League, or Fernandes willing the Ballon d’Or, we can see why they’d reject such a proposal.

Record state (H/t Sport Witness): ‘Sporting and Man United are approaching an understanding and may in the next few hours reach full agreement.’

That sounds a bit premature given what BBC Sport reported this morning.

Record says the Red Devils are ‘willing’ to raise their offer to €60m plus €5m.

O Jogo suggests Fernandes would have wanted a better farewell after losing 2-0 to rivals Benfica. They add that negotiations with United ‘should’ be ‘concluded this weekend’.