Manchester United full-back Alvaro Fernandez has permanently moved to Benfica after the Portuguese club decided to exercise their option to buy him following the end of his loan spell. The 21-year-old had a successful six-month stint in Lisbon, playing 16 games and helping his team to a second-place finish in Liga Portugal. After impressing the club officials, it was reported by the Manchester Evening News that Benfica would be signing Fernandez. The deal was officially confirmed by United in a club statement on Sunday night, marking their first transaction of the 2024 summer transfer window. Manchester United player Harry Maguire takes a swipe at Leeds United following their loss in the play-off final. After going over the formalities, it was stated: “United staff wishes Alvaro the best of luck in his future endeavors and will be monitoring his progress closely.” Benfica have given £5 million upfront and potential add-ons worth £2.5 million in exchange for a player who did not make his senior debut at Old Trafford. The former Real Madrid youth player played 62 games for Manchester United’s youth teams, but did not break into the first team under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer or Erik ten Hag. He had a short stint in La Liga with Granada before being loaned to Preston North End in the 2022/23 season, where he was named Young Player of the Season. United are satisfied with the agreement as they have included a buy-back option and a sell-on fee if Fernandez is transferred to another club. Insiders believe they have implemented numerous safeguards in comparable agreements for recent departures, such as when arranging Hannibal Mejbri’s current loan to Sevilla.
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