Tottenham Hotspur have won the race for West Ham United for midfielder Mateus Fernandes.
Spurs have made the highest offer to West Ham — believed to be worth a £85million (€98m, $112m) guaranteed fee, according to multiple sources briefed on the deal — and the 21-year-old has decided to join them.
The Portugal international has attracted interest from multiple clubs, including Manchester United, but is now set to move to north London after West Ham stood firm on their valuation.
For United, the transfer fee and the player’s salary went higher than they were willing to pay, and they will now shift their focus to other targets after seeing success from remaining patient in the window last summer.
Fernandes was one of West Ham’s standout performers during a difficult 2025-26 campaign, making 36 league appearances, scoring three goals and providing four assists. His West Ham contract has another four years to run, having joined from Southampton for around £38m in August 2025.
If completed, Fernandes will become Spurs’ fourth signing of the summer, with Andy Robertson and Marco Senesi arriving as free agents and Jan Paul van Hecke joining from Brighton & Hove Albion for £52m.
He will join a deep Tottenham midfield that includes Conor Gallagher, Rodrigo Bentancur, Pape Matar Sarr, Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall, though the Sweden international has informed the club of his desire to seek a new challenge elsewhere. Yves Bissouma will officially leave the club when is contract expires at the end of this month, while Joao Palhinha’s loan spell has concluded and a permanent deal has not yet been agreed.
Fernandes made his senior debut against the United States in April 2026, although he was subsequently left out of Roberto Martinez’s squad for the World Cup.
A move to Spurs will see Fernandes join his third English club in the last two years. He made 36 appearances for Southampton, scoring twice and providing four assists, after arriving from Sporting CP in the summer of 2024. Southampton were relegated at the end of that season, the same fate West Ham suffered a year later.
Fernandes move represents a new Spurs
Analysis by Tottenham correspondent Jay Harris
Spurs have made a few eye-catching moves this summer but signing Fernandes would truly signal they have entered a new era.
Tottenham’s current club-record signing is the £65million they paid Bournemouth for striker Dominic Solanke in August 2024. Throwing their weight around to sign Fernandes for £85m ahead of their rivals would never have happened during Daniel Levy’s 24-year spell as executive chairman. Spurs are showing a ruthlessness and efficiency in the transfer market which was rarely seen under Levy who preferred to wait until the end of the window to complete deals and was reluctant to overspend on fees and wages.
Spurs have retooled their defence over the last few weeks with the signings of Van Hecke, Senesi and Robertson. Now, their attention has turned to central midfield, which has caused them problems for several years. Conor Gallagher’s arrival in January provided them with much-needed experience and the capture of Fernandes would inject extra quality.
Spurs had a lot of creativity issues last season, partially with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski suffering serious knee injuries and missing most and the whole campaign respectively. Fernandes created 37 chances in the Premier League during 2025-26, which was more than any other Spurs player apart from full-back Pedro Porro (53). The 21-year-old has demonstrated over the last two seasons with Southampton and West Ham respectively that he is capable of influencing games at this level, and he should keep developing.
Apart from winning the Europa League in 2025, the last two seasons have been miserable for Spurs. Their bullish and ambitious activity in the transfer market so far suggests they are heading in a positive direction under De Zerbi.