Tottenham Hotspur have beaten Manchester United to the signing of Portugal midfielder Mateus Fernandes from West Ham United in a deal worth a guaranteed £85m, with no add-ons.
The 21-year-old emerged as Tottenham’s top midfield target after Newcastle United rejected their £80m bid for Italy international Sandro Tonali. Spurs moved quickly to secure Fernandes’ signature, fending off competition from Manchester United, who declined to match the agreed transfer fee.
Fernandes, who attracted interest from Paris Saint-Germain as well as United, is expected to bolster Tottenham’s midfield ahead of the 2026/27 campaign despite suffering successive Premier League relegations with West Ham.
The transfer continues Tottenham’s busy summer recruitment drive. The north London club have already strengthened their squad with the signings of goalkeeper Martin Dubravka on a free transfer following the expiry of his Burnley contract on July 1, defenders Marcos Senesi and Andy Robertson on free transfers from Bournemouth and Liverpool respectively, and Netherlands international Jan Paul van Hecke, who joined from Brighton for £52m.
Tottenham had initially prioritised a move for Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali, but the Magpies refused to negotiate after the Italian recently signed a contract extension. Tonali still has four years remaining on his deal after Newcastle backed him during his 10-month suspension for breaching the Football Association’s betting regulations.
Manchester United were also keen on Fernandes, with his agent Jorge Mendes holding talks with both clubs. However, United maintained their transfer policy of paying only what they consider fair market value and were unwilling to match Tottenham’s £85m offer.
Sources also suggested United were unconvinced Fernandes was fully committed to joining the club.
The Red Devils remain focused on reinforcing their midfield and have already agreed a £35m deal to sign Brazilian midfielder Ederson from Atalanta. However, his arrival has been delayed following a late call-up to Brazil’s World Cup squad.
United’s players are due to return for pre-season training on July 9. Aside from the departures of out-of-contract duo Casemiro and Tyrell Malacia, Michael Carrick’s squad has seen little change.
Plans to sell Manuel Ugarte have also been put on hold after the Uruguayan suffered a serious injury while on World Cup duty, while reports linking Netherlands striker Joshua Zirkzee and midfielder Mason Mount with exits have been dismissed.
(The Whistler)
