Tottenham has reached an agreement with West Ham to sign Portugal midfielder Mateus Fernandes in a deal worth a guaranteed £85m, with no add-ons included. The north London side beat competition from Manchester United, who decided not to match the financial package accepted by West Ham.
The 21-year-old became Tottenham’s leading midfield target after Newcastle rejected an £80m offer for Sandro Tonali. Spurs quickly shifted their attention to Fernandes and successfully completed negotiations for the highly rated Portugal international.
Tottenham have been particularly active since the transfer window opened, continuing to strengthen multiple areas of the squad before the new campaign begins.
A busy summer continues for Tottenham
Fernandes is set to become Tottenham’s fifth signing of the summer. The club recently agreed to bring in goalkeeper Martin Dubravka on a free transfer once his Burnley contract expires on 1 July.
The experienced Slovakian international follows the arrivals of Marcos Senesi and Andy Robertson, who also joined on free transfers from Bournemouth and Liverpool, respectively. Tottenham also completed the £52m signing of Netherlands defender Jan Paul van Hecke from Brighton.
After reinforcing their defensive options, Spurs switched their focus to central midfield. Although Tonali remained their preferred choice initially, Newcastle’s refusal to sell prompted the club to pursue Fernandes instead.
Manchester United refuse to raise the offer
Fernandes attracted significant interest despite suffering consecutive Premier League relegations, with both Manchester United and Paris St. Germain monitoring his situation during the summer.
His representative, Jorge Mendes, held discussions with Tottenham and Manchester United, while the player was reportedly open to different destinations. However, United maintained their policy of only paying what they considered an appropriate valuation for transfer targets.
Although the Old Trafford club admired Fernandes, they believed their approach in previous transfer windows had demonstrated the value of patience. There was also uncertainty within the club over whether the midfielder genuinely wanted to join them.
United continue with alternative plans
Manchester United remain focused on strengthening their midfield and have already agreed a £35m deal with Atalanta for Ederson. His arrival has been postponed after receiving a late call-up to Brazil’s World Cup squad.
The club’s players are scheduled to report back for pre-season training on 9 July. Aside from the departures of out-of-contract pair Casemiro and Tyrell Malacia, Michael Carrick’s squad has seen no major arrivals or exits.
Plans to sell Manuel Ugarte have also been put on hold after the midfielder suffered a serious injury while representing Uruguay at the World Cup. At the same time, Netherlands forward Joshua Zirkzee remains at the club, while sources have dismissed speculation suggesting Mason Mount could leave.
