Mateus Fernandes is set to become Tottenham Hotspur's record signing from West Ham
Tottenham Hotspur have reached an agreement to sign West Ham United star Mateus Fernandes. Spurs are set to make the Portuguese midfielder their fifth signing of the summer in a deal worth £85million.
Roberto De Zerbi's side have gazumped their rivals to make the Hammers star their latest addition. Manchester United were interested in the former Southampton man but Fernandes has opted to make the cross-London switch, where he will become a club-record arrival with Spurs smashing their previous landmark football.london understands .
Fernandes will shatter the record transfer after Dominic Solanke's £65million move from Bournemouth in 2024. Fernandes made 36 appearances for the East London club in the Premier League last term, scoring three times, but couldn't inspire Nuno Espirito Santo's side to avoid relegation.
The Red Devils had made Fernandes one of their main targets after reaching an agreement to sign Ederson from Atalanta, however it has been suggested that they baulked at the fee and the player's demands.
More additions at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium are to come with De Zerbi continuing to wield his axe and add his mark on the club. Spurs are looking to push back into the mix with Europe's elite after their skirmish with relegation last season.
Jan Paul van Hecke will join his new teammates when he returns from his break after the World Cup following his £52million move from Brighton & Hove Albion. The Dutchman is among the Premier League-experienced figures to walk through the arrivals in North London after Andy Robertson, Marco Senesi and Martin Dubravka.
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Fernandes' arrival, pending a medical, will see him join an extensive midfield department with Conor Gallagher, Rodrigo Bentancur, Pape Matar Sarr, Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall in the ranks. The Swede faces an uncertain future at Hotspur Way following reports he is seeking a challenge away from Spurs.
United, who have missed out on Fernandes' signature, will now have to assess their other options following this transfer setback. They were handed a further blow at the World Cup when Manuel Ugarte suffered a serious knee injury during a period of uncertainty surrounding his club future.
It has been suggested that he looked set to depart Old Trafford this summer with Michael Carrick looking to bolster and reinvest into their engine room.
Although Fernandes made his debut for Portugal in April, he missed out on their World Cup squad in North America. He will be in line to link up with his new teammates in under two weeks time when the pre-season preparations begin.
Spurs have six fixtures in the diary before the season begins competitively on August 22 with the trip to Brentford with the start of the new Premier League season pushed back because of the international tournament taking place across the United States, Canada and Mexico.
De Zerbi will reconvene with his players from Friday, July 10 for medical and physical testing and gym work. They will then move on to full work on the training pitches with the coaching staff from Monday July 13.
For the likes of Robertson and Van Hecke, as well as Tottenham regulars, they will have staggered returns due to their involvement at the World Cup. The Scotland captain saw his side bow out in the Group Stages while the central defender was in the Holland side that crashed out after losing to Morocco on penalties overnight on Tuesday.