Manchester United remain keen on Sporting star

Manchester United are still eager to bring Sporting lynchpin Bruno Fernandes to Old Trafford, despite the two teams failing to agree a fee for the midfielder, reports Portuguese publication A Bola. 

The pair have been locked in negotiations over a possible move for Fernandes this month and while the player is keen on the switch, both parties are yet to strike an agreement for the 25-year-old. 

Reports on Thursday suggested the deal was dead in the water, yet United are still hoping to bring Fernandes to Manchester before next week's deadline. 

However, United are going to have to quickly find a way to reach an agreement with the Portuguese giants, who won't accept anything less than £68m for Fernandes, who is the highest rated player in Liga NOS this season with a WhoScored rating of 7.83. 

The player's agent, Jorge Mendes, insists that Fernandes will have left Sporting by the start of next season, but United need to up their offer for the Portugal international or risk missing out on one of their top targets. 

Sporting missed out on a spot in the Taca da Liga final when they lost 2-1 to eventual winners Braga last week.