Liverpool make £40m bid for Manchester United target

Liverpool have made an offer £40m to secure the signature of Sporting midfielder Bruno Fernandes, who is also on the radar of Manchester United.

The Portuguese has recently come off a stellar campaign with Sporting where he contributed 32 goals and 18 assists and this has caught the attention of some of Europe's elite.

United have been heavily tipped to land the midfielder's signature in the past few weeks but according to Correio da Manha, the Reds are aiming to steal the march on their arch-rivals by lodging a bid of almost £40m.

The same publication adds that the valuation remains below Sporting's price tag for the midfielder and they are expected to rebuff the offer with the view to attracting interest from other suitors.

Fernandes, who has a release clause of £86m in his contract, was recently in Nations League action where Portugal went on to claim the maiden title in the competition. He has four years left on his Sporting deal.