Tottenham are reportedly preparing to offer West Ham a player swap in a bid to try and sweeten a deal to sign Mateus Fernandes, given that Manchester United appear to have taken a step closer to signing the Portugal international.
Fernandes has emerged as one of the stories of the summer window to date, with his expected departure from the London Stadium sealed on the final day of the 2025/26 season following West Ham’s relegation to the Championship.
Tottenham and United emerged as major contenders to snap up the 21-year-old talent, with talks taking place over a prospective deal in the region of £85million (€98.5m / $112m).
Indeed, speaking recently on his YouTube channel, transfer insider Fabrizio Romano revealed the latest on the player’s situation.
Romano said: “The reality of this story is that Mateus Fernandes is prepared to go to Man United or Tottenham. The player is open to both moves.
“The player is ready to accept both projects. It now depends on the club, so who can agree terms with West Ham will get the player, and it’s about the money, because they start at £85million, could be more if these clubs keep fighting for the same player, and also payment tariffs are also important for West Ham, so it’s not just about the fee, it’s also about the timing to pay this money.”
Despite that Romano statement, TEAMtalk understands that Man Utd has been Fernandes‘ top choice from the outset and that the midfielder has already given them the green light over a potential move, with talks now reported as being underway.
Indeed, according to Ben Jacobs, reporting for talkSPORT, the Red Devils have now started the process of talks to reach an agreement, though are still waiting for a full confirmation from the player.
For their part, Tottenham are still confident they could steal a march on United and convince Fernandes to remain in the capital and not head north.
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Tottenham tempt West Ham with Fernandes player swap
According to insiders from the West Ham side, Spurs are hoping the Hammers accept a proposal that would see a current north London star head to the London Stadium as part of the Fernandes deal.
In a post on X, WestHam_Central, in conjunction with Hammers insider ExWHUEmployee stated that “Spurs have offered players to tempt us”.
One of those players reported to have been offered is young winger Mikey Moore, who excelled during a loan spell in Scotland with Rangers during the 2025/26 campaign.
The 18-year-old prospect played 47 times across all competitions for the Ibrox outfit, starting 32 of those games, and scored seven goals with four assists.
While many Tottenham fans are excited about the prospect of seeing Moore being given game time under Roberto De Zerbi, our sources have previously reported how another loan move to Rangers has already been given the green light.
However, Hammers insiders claim that Moore has actually been offered to West Ham instead as part of the deal that would take Fernandes to Tottenham.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side could be in need of two new wide men this summer, with Spurs target Crysensico Summerville expected to leave and now being linked with Man Utd.
Jarrod Bowen is also being tipped to move on after the club’s relegation, with latest reports suggesting that Everton are now firmly in the mix for a player who has been heavily linked with Tottenham in the past.
As for Moore’s future, sources indicate that a move to Ibriox remains the likelier option for the young winger, although what that means for the Fernandes deal remains to be seen.