Bruno Fernandes has turned down a second contract offer from Manchester United. Sources have told BBC Sport that the captain rejected the club's latest proposal, leaving United with a decision to make before the end of the year about a player whose deal runs out next summer.
The 12-month option and the 1 January deadline
United are not about to lose him for nothing. Fernandes is out of contract at the end of the season, but the club hold an option to extend the agreement by 12 months, to 2028. What they wanted was to avoid needing it. Talks with the 32-year-old's representatives have been going on for months with the aim of replacing the current deal altogether.
If nothing is agreed, it is almost certain United will trigger that extension before 1 January. The date matters. From then his contract would be inside its final six months, and he would be free to sign a pre-contract agreement with a club abroad.
It is not clear exactly when Fernandes said no. A quick resolution looks unlikely either way, because the club has had other things on its mind this week.
Pochettino and the one that got away in 2019
Michael Carrick was sacked as head coach on Thursday after United's worst start to a domestic season in 40 years. Mauricio Pochettino is replacing him, and his first match is away to Liverpool on 22 November.
United will hope the new man helps persuade their captain to stay, and there is some history between the two. Fernandes came close to joining Pochettino's Tottenham in 2019. The move never happened and he signed for United from Sporting six months later. He has scored six goals in 13 matches this season.
Why neither side is rushing
BBC Sport's chief football news reporter Simon Stone makes the point that a rejected offer is not, on its own, a crisis. First and second proposals get knocked back all the time. That is how these negotiations usually go.
But both parties have reasons to hesitate about a longer commitment. Fernandes wants to compete for the biggest prizes and, in Stone's words, can see the best years of his career drifting away. United have once again failed to build on a promising season. He will want to see what Pochettino changes before he signs anything. The Saudi Pro League wanted him 18 months ago, though the feeling has been that he would rather stay in Europe.
From United's side the worry is form. Last season Fernandes broke the Premier League assists record and won all the major player of the year awards. This season his level has dropped sharply, and the club will have noticed what happened down the road at Liverpool, who committed a huge sum to Mohamed Salah's last contract and found it a heavy burden. United do not want a long, expensive deal for a player in his thirties who is not performing.
So the likeliest outcome for now is the dull one: the option gets triggered, the talks carry on, and everyone waits to see what Pochettino's United look like.
Contract context: Bruno Fernandes, 32, joined Manchester United from Sporting in 2020. His contract expires at the end of the 2026-27 season, with a club option for a further 12 months to 2028 that United are expected to trigger before 1 January if no new deal is agreed. Six goals in 13 appearances this season. Source: BBC Sport.
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