Manchester United are yet to reach out to Sporting Lisbon over the signing of their top midfielder, Bruno Fernandes, because the Portuguese club handed over the selling of the 24-year-old to the player's agent.
This claim was made by respected football expert and journalist, Duncan Castles.
We reported that Man United are interested in signing Fernandes this summer.
Castles was quoted by Daily Express as saying on Monday: "As of recently, very recently, I think last weekend, Sporting, upon being asked about Manchester United's interest in Bruno Fernandes, told a friend of mine 'I don't know why the press keep talking about Manchester United. We haven't had any contact at all with the club'.
"They basically handed over the selling of Bruno to his brother-in-law, his agent, and the brother-in-law has been telling Sporting 'a bid is gonna come, a bid is gonna come. Manchester United, Tottenham, other clubs are interested in the player.
"'They've told me they will make an offer and it will be an offer that will be acceptable to Sporting.
"Sporting have been allowing the agent to carry on that route that is the source of a lot of these stories.
"I think if you want to go and dig a bit about what's emerged on Bruno Fernandes, I think there was a fairly substantial report that he was a step away from signing for Manchester United, you will dig back and as far as I can see it's sourced to ANSA, which is an Italian newspaper report, which is run by one of the prominent Italian newspapers.
"It was basically talking about Sampdoria being due a percentage of the transfer fee were Bruno Fernandes to move for the kind of money that Sporting are asking, which varies between €55m and €65m.
"They've made various public statements on this, how much Sampdoria would get.
"And that appears to have been blown into people reporting and doing a kind of Chinese whispers to the effect that Manchester United were just out to pull the trigger on the deal."
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