West Ham star Mateus Fernandes has been sensational for the east Londoners since joining from Southampton last summer, and clubs are looking to pounce.
Clubs line up for Fernandes after excellent West Ham campaign
It has been a wretched season for West Ham, but Fernandes has been one of the undeniable bright spots.
While the club have stumbled from one crisis to the next — adrift of safety for much of the campaign, now sitting 18th on 36 points with two games to play and relegation a very real prospect — the 21-year-old midfielder has played with a composure and authority that belongs nowhere near the bottom of the table.
Three goals, three assists and 34 Premier League appearances tell only part of the story.
It is the way Fernandes has played that has caught the eye: his fantastic pass accuracy, his willingness to receive under pressure, his ability to dictate tempo from the centre of the pitch.
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The England winger has been among the standouts for Nuno’s side.
He scored the fastest goal of the Premier League season — after just 29 seconds against Aston Villa in December — and has consistently been West Ham’s best performer in a team that has given him precious little support.
For a player in his debut season at the club, signed from Southampton for just over £40m last summer, the adaptation has been remarkable.
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It has not gone unnoticed.
According to TEAMtalk, Man United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, Man City and PSG have all made enquiries about the midfielder in recent weeks.
Fernandes is also believed to favour a move to Old Trafford, but the race is very much on for West Ham’s standout star.
Michael Carrick is understood to view Fernandes as a key target for his first full summer window at Old Trafford, but the competition is fierce and growing by the day.
West Ham, however, have no intention of making it easy for anyone.
TEAMtalk’s transfer insider Graeme Bailey has revealed the club’s stance, and it is a defiant one:
“Speaking to West Ham, they know that relegation is a subject they might have to talk about very soon,” said Bailey.
“But when talking about Fernandes, they made an interesting point to me and that even if they are relegated, anyone coming for him is buying a Premier League player, not a Championship one.
“He has shown this season just how good he is and they firmly believe he has a price-tag reflective of that. Whilst no exact figure is being put on him, I believe they will be looking for around £70million and if they do stick to that, it does limit who will buy him.”
It is a bold position, but not an unreasonable one.
Fernandes is 21, under contract until 2030, and has already proven he can perform at the highest level in English football. The market for young, Premier League-tested midfielders heavily favours sellers right now, and West Ham know that better than anyone.
Internally, the preference would be to keep Fernandes and build around him — but that only works if the club stay up.
If relegation is confirmed in the coming weeks, the financial realities of Championship football will make holding onto a player of his calibre almost impossible.
The £70m asking price, in that scenario, becomes less about keeping him and more about ensuring West Ham extract maximum value from their best asset.
Newcastle away on Sunday is next, and the equation is brutal.
Anything less than results in their final two fixtures could seal West Ham’s fate. Fernandes will give everything, as he has all season. Whether it is enough remains to be seen.
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