The most recent transfer rumors surrounding Manchester United, as the team confirms in a statement that their first summer transaction is complete.
Alvaro Fernandez has joined Benfica (Image: Nuno Branco/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Complete-back After his loan agreement expired, Benfica, a Portuguese club, exercised their option to purchase Alvaro Fernandez, completing his permanent move from Manchester United.
Making 16 appearances for Roger Schmidt’s team during their successful six-month stay in Lisbon, the 21-year-old helped them finish second in Liga Portugal, just behind rival Sporting CP. The Manchester Evening News revealed before the weekend that Fernandez would be joining them, as club executives were impressed.
As of Sunday night, the deal is official, as United announced in a club statement that they had completed their first transfer of the summer transfer window for 2024.
“Everyone at United would like to wish Alvaro all the best of luck in the future and will be keeping an eye on his progress,” the statement said, wrapping up the explanation of the formalities.
Benfica received around £5 million in exchange for a player who never really made his senior debut at Old Trafford, plus an additional £2.5 million in potential add-ons. The former Real Madrid player made 62 appearances for United’s development teams but was never included in Erik ten Hag’s or Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s squads.
He briefly played in La Liga with Granada in the first half of the current season, but earlier in 2022–2023 he was named Preston North End’s Young Player of the Season after spending the whole year on loan at the Championship team.
Having negotiated a buy-back clause and a sell-on fee should Fernandez be sold to another team before then, United is pleased with the deal. Based on similar deals for recent departures, such as the arrangement of Hannibal Mejbri’s current loan to Sevilla, sources believe they have incorporated ‘a lot of protections’.
