Bruno Fernandes may have just scored against Liverpool in pre-season, but his chances of doing the same in the Premier League for Manchester United are still up in the air.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been chasing Fernandes all summer as he begins to reshape his midfield after the departures of Ander Herrera and Marouane Fellaini, but reports suggest United are becoming frustrated by Sporting's attempts to create a bidding war.
According to the Evening Standard, United believe their interest is being used to attract more suitors, to drive up Fernandes's lofty £56m price tag.
Sporting's coach Marcel Keizer has remained coy on Fernandes' future, saying: "Everybody would like him to say.
"The situation is that he is here, but we don’t know what the future will bring.
“We know he plays very well, we know that clubs like him, so we have to see what happens.
“The job of the coach is to realise that some players will go before the end of the window. Every player can go, and we can also buy players.”
United have already spent big this summer with the signing of Aaron Wan-Bissaka from Crystal Palace, but it's unlikely to be the end of their business.
A move for Harry Maguire continues to be mooted, though United are reluctant to match Leicester's £90m valuation, and they are still interested in Newcastle's young midfielder Sean Longstaff, though new manager Steve Bruce is desperate to keep him.
Serbian midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic also looks set to complete a move from Lazio imminently.
Speaking about United's transfer business, Solskjaer said: “We’ve got to be patient. It’s a long haul and it’s very important we get the right ones in.
“So we can’t just jump on a different path when the hit a hurdle. I’ve not had a frustrating feeling at all.
“Of course when we’re working on something that means that we have identified something that could improve us.”
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