Sporting Lisbon president Bruno Varandas has explained why the Portuguese club rejected an offer from Tottenham Hotspur for the services of Bruno Fernandes.
Varandas said Sporting initially planned to sell Fernandes last summer but decided against it when no appropriate offers were made.
Fernandes eventually secured a move to Manchester United last month after agreeing to move to Old Trafford on a five-and-a-half year deal with the option of an extra year.
However, things could have turned out differently had Sporting reduced their asking price and accepted Tottenham's approach for the midfielder last summer.
“At the end of June, we had become aware that we were going to sell Bruno," Varandas told Portuguese newspaper Record.
"We had already signed Camacho, Rosier and Vietto, and we wanted to bring in a striker and a midfielder who were practically closed. The last four days of this market were the worst of my presidency, that’s when I realised that we didn’t sell Bruno Fernandes.
“Bruno’s sale was very conditioned by his return. If Sporting refused a bid of €35m, we would have to give his agent €5m. This clause was made public irresponsibly. It was one of the things that seriously penalised us. And it was only in this window that Sporting took that weight off our shoulders, to go and negotiate."
Varandas said Fernandes' sale was necessary because Sporting needed to make €115million to stay afloat financially.
“There are no non-negotiable players," Varandas added. "Bruno Fernandes is the proof. And it was an obligation. We wouldn’t be able to reach €115m without [selling] him. With the sale in January, for €63m practically certain, it was shown that we did well to resist and not to accept the proposal of Tottenham.”
