Tottenham Hotspur have agreed a deal to sign West Ham United midfielder Mateus Fernandes in a £85m move, with the Portuguese star choosing Spurs over Manchester United
Tottenham Hotspur are set to beat Manchester United to Mateus Fernandes after reaching an agreement worth £85million. Spurs are poised to make the Portuguese midfielder their fifth summer acquisition with the 21-year-old preferring a move to North London over the Red Devils.
Roberto De Zerbi's outfit have pipped their competitors to land the Hammers ace as their newest recruit. United had shown interest in the former Southampton player, but Fernandes has chosen to make the cross-London move, where he will become a record-breaking signing with Spurs shattering their previous benchmark, football.london has reported.
Fernandes will eclipse the transfer record previously held by Dominic Solanke's £65million switch from Bournemouth in 2024. Fernandes featured 36 times for the East London outfit in the Premier League last campaign, netting three goals, but was unable to prevent Nuno Espirito Santo's squad from suffering relegation.
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The Red Devils had identified Fernandes as a priority target following their agreement to bring in Ederson from Atalanta, though it has been suggested they were put off by the price tag and the player's wage demands.
Further reinforcements at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium are expected as De Zerbi continues to reshape the squad and stamp his authority on the club. Spurs are seeking to return to contention amongst Europe's finest following their brush with relegation last term.
Jan Paul van Hecke is set to join his new colleagues following a break after the World Cup, having made a £52million switch from Brighton and Hove Albion. The Dutchman joins the influx of Premier League-experienced players arriving in North London, including Andy Robertson, Marco Senesi and Martin Dubravka.
Pending a medical, Fernandes' arrival will bolster an already extensive midfield line-up featuring Conor Gallagher, Rodrigo Bentancur, Pape Matar Sarr, Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall. The Swede's future at Hotspur Way hangs in the balance amid rumours he's seeking a fresh challenge away from Spurs.
United, having missed out on securing Fernandes, must now reassess their alternatives following this transfer disappointment. Their woes were compounded at the World Cup when Manuel Ugarte sustained a severe knee injury amidst ongoing speculation about his club future.
Rumours suggest Ugarte was poised for an Old Trafford exit this summer as Michael Carrick seeks to strengthen and reinvest in the midfield.
It has been claimed that while the Red Devils pushed hard for his signature, they will only sign players at the right valuation and ones who want to play for the club. The suggestion from Alex Crook of talkSPORT is that Fernandes' preference wasn't clear throughout their transfer pursuit.
Despite making his Portugal debut in April, Fernandes was omitted from their World Cup squad in North America. He's expected to meet his new teammates in less than two weeks when pre-season training kicks off.
Spurs have six fixtures pencilled in before the season kicks off in earnest on August 22 with the journey to Brentford, as the new Premier League campaign has been delayed due to the international tournament spanning the United States, Canada and Mexico.
De Zerbi will reunite with his squad from Friday, July 10 for medical examinations, fitness assessments and gymnasium sessions. They will then progress to complete training ground work alongside the coaching team from Monday July 13.
For the likes of Robertson and Van Hecke, along with other Tottenham regulars, they will return at different times owing to their World Cup commitments. The Scotland skipper watched his team exit at the Group Stages while the centre-back was part of the Holland squad that tumbled out following their penalty shoot-out defeat to Morocco in the early hours of Tuesday.