Bruno Fernandes has been a name featured very regularly in transfer speculation involving the Reds this summer, although the club have maintained that they have no interest in the Portuguese midfielder.
Manchester United and Tottenham have also been heavily linked with a move for the Sporting Lisbon man, while last week Manchester City were thought to be close to acquiring him.
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As the Liverpool ECHO have explained, Sporting’s president Frederico Varandas and sporting director Hugo Viana were in Manchester last week, but not for transfer talks about Fernandes, as many sources had assumed to be the case.
In fact, the talks were about striking up a potential relationship between Manchester City and Sporting Lisbon, with a view to there being future transfers between the two sides after City secured 18-year-old Sporting winger Felix Correia. The two clubs want to establish a two-way relationship which aids both parties – perhaps with City sending young talents there on loan to develop.
It doesn’t take much for fans to be convinced a transfer is imminent, but in this case, the rumours will go on. Neither the Reds nor either Manchester club are close to signing Fernandes at this stage.
It is likely that Liverpool are not interested at all in the midfielder, but rather that the Reds’ name has been drawn into negotiations in order to up the price-tag.