Manchester United's move for Sporting Lisbon star Bruno Fernandes appears to be off.

The Red Devils have been heavily linked with the prolific Portuguese midfielder in the last two transfer windows and there was genuine belief that the deal would materialise this time around.

But according to Goal, the transfer has eroded away after intervention from unpopular co-chairman Joel Glazer.

United had offered around £51m for Fernandes, with £42.5m of that fee guaranteed to Sporting up front.

The Portuguese club have since demanded £68m, leading to Glazer intervening and calling a halt to the deal.

United's co-chairman actually stepped in while other members of the transfer team - including Ed Woodward - were trying to broker a compromise.

So the same man who spent £80m on Harry Maguire doesn't believe one of the world's leading attacking midfielders is not worth a smaller fee? Absolute madness.

No wonder the fans have seriously turned against Glazer!

United simply do not have a single attacking midfielder capable of creating or scoring on a regular basis.

Andreas Pereira and Jesse Lingard are Championship at best, while Juan Mata should probably be seeking a move to MLS in due course.

But what about Fernandes you ask? Well the 25-year-old has scored eight times and assisted seven more goals in just 16 Liga NoS appearances in 2019/20.

Only Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford in the United squad have scored more league goals, while not a single player has accrued more assists.

Yes the Portuguese may be a tad overpriced - mainly because it's the January transfer window - but his output pretty much matches his valuation in the modern day.

Without a signing of his calibre, you fail to see how United will escape from more performances like the one against Burnley last night.

Rio Ferdinand labelled the club "embarrassing" and the Red Devils' pursuit of Fernandes is another thing that falls under that description!