'Maybe €20m? €30m?' - Sporting chief speaks of Bruno Fernandes devaluation

Perhaps Sporting were lucky not to hold out any longer before selling Bruno Fernandes, because according to their own president, the Man Utd new recruite would be worth a lot less these days.

Frederico Varandas has been interviewed by Portuguese outlet RTP today, and speaking of the transfer market, he used the 24-year-old as an example of how the numbers could have a dramatic change in the coming months.

“The crisis caused by Covid-19 harms the European football industry in general, but, of all countries, Portugal is the most affected, because fifty percent of revenues come from the sale of players,” Frederico Varandas told RTP.

“Bruno Fernandes, for example? He was sold for €65m in January. Today, what would he be worth? Maybe €20m? €30m? Nobody knows.”

Sporting are currently in a legal dispute with Sampdoria over part of the money from Bruno Fernandes’ transfer. On Wednesday, the Lions released an official statement saying they’re not paying the Italian side 10% of the profit they made when selling the player to Manchester United.