Mateus Fernandes is a rather special case. In 2 consecutive seasons, he has been relegated with Southampton and West Ham. However, the Portuguese midfielder is still highly appreciated by Roberto De Zerbi and brought to London for up to 85 million pounds.
The 21-year-old star was once a close target of Man United when West Ham was on the verge of relegation last season. At that time, The Hammers decided to sell Fernandes to reduce the cost for the next season to play in the Championship. Although there were rumors about PSG and Real Madrid's interest, before Tottenham officially jumped in, only Man United showed the greatest determination in this deal.
However, when looking back at history, Tottenham had been interested in Fernandes since 2022. When he was playing for Sporting Lisbon youth team, he scored against Spurs in the UEFA Youth League in September. In October 2022, when promoted to the first team, Mateus Fernandes met Tottenham again in the UEFA Champions League.
Summer 2025, before having a terrible season, Tottenham once targeted Mateus Fernandes when he had an impressive season in Southampton's colors even though this team had to be relegated. At that time, the two sides were not destined to be together, but this time everything has become a reality. New captain De Zerbi is very eager to own the 21-year-old star and put Fernandes on the priority list for Spurs' rebuilding.
Jorge Mendes is currently the representative for Mateus Fernandes. He has played a similar role for countless top stars, including Cristiano Ronaldo, so high-value deals are often made.
Mendes and his team have worked in parallel with Man United and Tottenham. On the "Red Devils" side, Mateus Fernnades' compatriot Bruno Fernandes has invited him to Old Trafford. Bruno is also Mateus's idol when the midfielder mentioned it in a personal post.
Despite the disadvantage of not having acquaintances, Tottenham is still very determined to pursue the goal to the end. Last Saturday, Tottenham came to West Ham's headquarters to discuss this deal. After leaving, Spurs are very confident of getting the signature of the 21-year-old star. Mateus Fernandes is convinced by De Zerbi's project, he will become an important factor in Tottenham's journey in the 2026-2027 season.
Besides, owning Sandro Tonali early is also a favorable stepping stone for Tottenham to convince Mateus Fernandes, showing this midfielder the team's great ambition in the upcoming season.
On Man United's side, they were very surprised when Tottenham dared to spend so much money on Tonali and Fernandes. The reason is that the club owner - the Lewis family - continued to pump 100 million pounds after the last similar move in October 2025.
Realizing that they could lose the target, Man United agreed with West Ham on a price of 85 million pounds but seemed unwilling to pay directly. After that, Tottenham quickly reached an initial agreement with the Portuguese midfielder. At that time, even if Man United paid higher than 85 million pounds, it was not certain that West Ham would agree. In the end, the Manchester team decided to give up the target because it went against the team's new transfer motto.
We will not let agents and the market force Man United to do something" - CEO Omar Berrada shared in the podcast Inside Carrington.
In addition to not wanting to compete in price with Tottenham, Man United also confirmed that they have never been a transfer priority in Mateus Fernandes' mind. This is very important because it is completely different from the successful signings last season when Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo or Benjamin Sesko.
It is not yet known how successful Mateus Fernandes will be, but the fact that this young star is priced at £85 million shows the inflation in the value of midfielders playing in the Premier League. Last week, Elliot Anderson joined Man City from Nottingham and officially became the most expensive English player in history (£116 million).
Every newly emerging young player in the Premier League today is labeled "100 million pounds", so if Man United still persistently pursues the current policy, even if it is correct, they may miss many more targets in the future.
