Bruno Fernandes: Man Utd captain’s exit ramps up as boss of Euro giants make double transfer plea

Thomas Tuchel has entered talks about staying at Bayern Munich next season after a major show of support from his players – but his chances of remaining rest entirely on a double capture from the Premier League – starting with Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes.

It was revealed back in February that Bayern Munich would be parting ways with the former Chelsea manager at the end of the season after a disappointing campaign that ultimately saw Bayer Leverkusen end their 11-year reign as champions. And after allegedly falling out with a couple of high-profile players, it was widely expected that the 50-year-old would return to the Premier League this summer.

However, Bayern’s quest to appoint a successor has been messy to say the least, with attempts to appoint a number of successors ultimately ending in disappointment.

And after interest in Crystal Palace’s Oliver Glasner saw the Eagles hit them with a reported £100m compensation demand, he became the latest in a long line of aborted attempts to land on a new manager, that also includes Ralf Rangnick and former boss Julian Nagelsmann among those to have walked away from the possibility of managing Bayern.

As a result, it was first mooted earlier this week that Tuchel could be persuaded to hang around by Bayern into another season, with calls for a stay of execution led by former Tottenham striker Harry Kane, who has thrived under his management.

Indeed, it has now emerged that those talks to keep him in place are now officially underway, and we understand that Tuchel has the support of several senior figures and players at the club.

And with Leroy Sane, Manuel Neuer, Thomas Muller and Jamal Musiala joining Kane in showing their support, he is now expected to shake hands on a deal to stay.

Tuchel demands Bayern Munich sign Bruno Fernandes

As with so many things in life, though, there appears to be some sort of catch and Tuchel will reportedly use those talks to demand the signing of two big-name stars from the Premier League as part of his manifesto to stay.

Indeed, his No 1 target is now reportedly Manchester United captain Fernandes, who TEAMtalk exclusively broke the news this week was on the radar of Bayern Munich this summer.

Fernandes had previously hinted that he will be considering his future at Old Trafford this summer in the wake of a hugely-disappointing season for the club, though he has since declared on live TV that he now plans to stay, having held clear-the-air talks with the United.

“I will be here until I’ve said, the club needs to want me,” Fernandes told Sky Sports. “I feel the club wants me to be part of the future, so as I said, I don’t want to be a player the club doesn’t want to have. If for some reason they don’t want to have me, I will go, but…”

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Fernandes was stopped from finishing his answer after Erik Ten Hag pulled him away to join in with their lap of honour and in showing appreciation to the supporters.

However, despite that declaration that he wants to stay, Tuchel believes he can still lure Fernandes away and has charged Bayern bosses with signing the Manchester United captain this summer.

Quite what fee would be needed for the Portuguese star would remain to be seen, and he underlined his performance for the club with a Man of the Match performance in Wednesday’s 3-2 win over Newcastle at Old Trafford.

Bayern want Fulham star in addition to Fernandes

Fernandes is not the only player Tuchel wants brought in this summer and it’s understood that during his talks at staying with Bayern, he has expressed annoyance that their failure to push through the signing of Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha, when a deal was desperately close last summer, played a significant factor in their Bundesliga title surrender.

Tuchel believes Bayern’s midfield missed a certain tenacity this season; a problem that would have been instantly fixed had they managed to push through a £55m deal with Fulham.

The Portugese star had been in Bavaria to complete the formalities of the move on deadline day on September 1, only for Bayern to ultimately run out of time and forced to admit defeat in their bid for the former Sporting Lisbon man.

However, that interest has not waned and Tuchel has now charged Bayern bosses with signing both Palhinha and Fernandes this summer.

In addition, Tuchel is also understood to have told Bayern chiefs to ensure they keep huge talent Musiala.

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The 21-year-old will reportedly be the subject of a mammoth offer from Manchester City this summer as they seek an heir to Kevin De Bruyne, who could depart for Saudi Arabia with just a year left on his deal.

But Tuchel will also make clear to Bayern that his sale cannot be allowed to go through under any circumstances with the player hugely important to their future and instrumental in Tuchel’s planning for next season and beyond.