Tottenham Hotspur have pulled off a major transfer coup by beating Manchester United to the signing of Mateus Fernandes.
The West Ham midfielder was linked with a string of clubs after the Hammers were relegated from the Premier League, including Real Madrid.
However, the transfer race came down to a tussle between Spurs and the Red Devils, which the north London club has won.
The Athletic report that Tottenham made the highest offer for the 21-year-old, which is reportedly £85m guaranteed.
Fernandes has agreed to make the move to Spurs and Manchester United have not been willing to match their offer.
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The former Sporting youngster made 36 Premier League appearances for West Ham last season, scoring three goals, and has been capped once by Portugal.
Spurs are conducting a huge revamp of their squad under Roberto De Zerbi and Fernandes will already be the fourth signing of the summer.
Andy Robertson, Marco Senesi and Jan Paul van Hecke have already been snapped up and the Portuguese midfielder adds to their collection of new signings.
Liverpool icon Robertson and Senesi arrive on free transfers, while Van Hecke has cost Spurs £52m from Brighton.
Fernandes will represent a record signing for Tottenham, breaking the £65m they spent on Dominic Solanke in 2024.
It is also a very profitable bit of business for West Ham, having signed the midfielder for around £38m less than 12 months ago.
Losing the race is a blow to Manchester United as they look to add at least one more midfielder to their ranks this summer.
A deal to bring in Brazil international Ederson from Atalanta has been agreed, but one more midfield option will be signed, possibly two.
Bournemouth’s Alex Scott is another player they have been tracking in that position, but the Cherries are not interested in selling him this summer.
Elliot Anderson was another man on the Red Devils’ shopping list, but Manchester City have won the race for the England international.
Brighton’s Carlos Baleba has been on the radar since last summer and remains an option for Manchester United.
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