INEOS are exploring a deal to sign Man Utd's £40m star

Bruno Fernandes is often ranked as Manchester United's best player of the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era, a shining light in the dark, troubled times at Old Trafford.

While that view is accurate, it probably doesn't do the Portuguese justice, as the 31-year-old is arguably one of United's best players of any era, such has been his continued, remarkable impact.

The likes of Roy Keane may have been among those who repeatedly pointed to a lack of quality, but Fernandes could do little to influence proceedings in Manchester, leading Ruben Amorim's side to the Europa League final last season.

38 goals and assists in all competitions in 2024/25 followed by a further 29 goals this time, no one has come close to those levels since the midfielder's arrival in 2020.

Could that be about to change this summer, though?

Man Utd are eyeing a deal to sign the £40m star this summer

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Fernandes' record-equaling campaign for assists came after the arrival of three marquee players last summer, Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko settling in at Old Trafford.

The trio have now reached double figures in Premier League goals, the first time three new signings have reached that mark for a Premier League side since Arsenal's return in 2012/13.

Considering no player reached ten goals for United in the league last season, the improvement has been impressive, although firepower is needed ahead of 2026/27 and the return of Champions League football.

With that in mind, CaughtOffside have reported that INEOS are already reviewing the contract of AC Milan star Rafael Leao, with the Serie A side now 'more open' to offering the Portugal forward than ever before.

According to the report, United are said to be interested in a player's contract and money for the 26-year-old, while the likes of Marcus Rashford, Joshua Zirkzee and Manuel Ugarte could be excluded.

That would help reduce the fee for the player who boasts a €175m (£153m) release clause in his current contract, although earlier reports suggested Milan could get a fee closer to £40m.

Why Leao could be the best signing since Fernandes

Sunday's win over Nottingham Forest not only saw Fernandes match Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne on 20 assists, it also marked a fitting farewell for the emotive Casemiro, the Brazilian who has arguably been the club's best signing since the captain arrived six years ago.

No player signed since 2020 has made as much of an impact as the 34-year-old, while only Cristiano Ronaldo's 27 goals in 2020 have been better than Casemiro's 26 goals for new players in that time – level with Rasmus Hojlund and Alejandro Garnacho.

There have been few success stories, it must be said, although Leao may be able to break the trend, his current status as “one of the best left-backs in the world”, in the opinion of analyst and Como scout Ben Mattinson.

Leao, who is also called “the beast” by Raj Chohan of the Premier League Panel, has had difficulties in Italy, but his record speaks for itself as he always leads the way in scoring goals and assists at San Siro.

He may not be Fernandes' levels, but his statistical consistency is impressive, scoring and assisting 114 goals in 226 Serie A appearances.

Since the start of 2021/22, he has scored at least eight goals in each league season, and before the current campaign, he has notched up ten assists in his last four Serie A seasons.

For a man who is not an out-and-out striker, released on the left, that makes for a surprising read, with the Lille paceman likely to be the left-sided solution Michael Carrick and his crying co-workers are.

With Cunha over ten by trade, and with Patrick Dorgu likely to drop to left back, there is a growing need for a long-term marquee addition to that side.

Bringing Leao into the fold would be a seismic development, similar to the switch from the likes of Jesse Lingard and Andreas Pereira to Fernandes in the number ten role.

The current United captain hit the ground running at Old Trafford and hasn't looked back since. Why can't his countryman do the same if INEOS closes the deal this summer?