Man Utd had their 'first bid' for West Ham midfielder Mateus Fernandes rejected on Tuesday amid speculation Tottenham also want him.
Man Utd had their ‘first bid’ for West Ham midfielder Mateus Fernandes rejected on Tuesday amid speculation Tottenham also want him.
The Red Devils have already agreed a deal to sign Atalanta midfielder Ederson with rumours that he had his medical in New York on Sunday.
However, Man Utd are not done there with midfield improvements as widespread reports indicate that the Red Devils want at least one, maybe two, more in that position, as well as a left-back and left-winger as a minimum this summer.
Fernandes seems to be the next name in line to join Man Utd as their top target, Elliot Anderson, seems likely to join arch-rivals Man City over the Red Devils.
But Man Utd seem to have some strong competition for Fernandes in the form of Premier League rivals Tottenham, who have already made several early moves in the transfer market.
David Ornstein of The Athletic has revealed that Tottenham head coach Roberto De Zerbi ‘wants’ Fernandes as well as Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali.
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Ornstein wrote on X: ‘Tottenham Hotspur among clubs keen on signing Mateus Fernandes from West Ham United – separate to #THFC pursuit of Sandro Tonali. Interest driven by Roberto De Zerbi; wants #WHUFC talent as well as #NUFC midfielder.’
Fabrizio Romano also confirmed interest in the top Man Utd target from Tottenham, he said on his YouTube channel: “It’s true that also Tottenham called the agent of the player.
“So, Tottenham had a conversation with the agent of player and are interested in Mateus Fernandes, but at the moment, it’s still early to say where he is going.
“Tottenham calling, Manchester United in talks, Real Madrid under consideration.
“He was one of the names indicated now 10 days ago by Jose Mourinho on that Tuesday when he arrived at Madrid, had a meeting with the board and started discussing options.
“So, that’s the situation of Mateus Fernandes.”
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Giving more detail on Man Utd’s interest in Fernandes, Romano said: “The contacts are going to continue in the next hours and days for Mateus Fernandes. Man Utd are there.
“Man Utd want to get the player, and are in direct contact with the player’s camp. Fernandes is very keen on a move to Manchester United.
“The discussions on the player side are going well, both with the player and his camp.
“Now it depends on the club-to-club discussions with West Ham. They’re starting at an £85m valuation for Fernandes.
“Ideally, they wanted £100m, but the expectation is they could close the deal at around £85m, not less than this.
“Man Utd’s initial discussion with those taking care of this deal is under £85m. So Man Utd want to spend less than this.”
And now an account on X made up of ‘five elite reporters’ has revealed that Fernandes would rather join Man Utd over Spurs with the Red Devils already having made their first bid.
The account wrote: ‘Exclusive. Mateus Fernandes has told his agent that he wants to move to Manchester United rather than Spurs. He has asked his agent to inquire about Manchester United’s next steps. We understand the first bid submitted last week was rejected on Tuesday.’
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