Tottenham are poised to break their transfer record after beating Manchester United to the signing of Mateus Fernandes for £85m.
The Portuguese midfielder is heading for a new challenge after West Ham’s relegation from the Premier League and will strengthen Roberto De Zerbi’s options in central midfield. De Zerbi, who helped Tottenham to narrowly avoid relegation last season, has been handed significant funds this summer and also hopes to sign the Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali.
Tottenham have been hugely active in the market and have already boosted their defence by signing Jan Paul van Hecke for £52m from Brighton and securing Marcos Senesi on a free transfer from Bournemouth.
Fernandes, who is due to have a medical before signing his contract, will add more creativity to De Zerbi’s side. He joined West Ham from Southampton for £38m last summer and caught the eye with a string of impressive performances. He was targeted by United, Arsenal and Real Madrid but Tottenham are the only club willing to meet West Ham’s asking price. United felt the numbers were too high and are looking elsewhere for midfield additions.
The sale of Fernandes will be the highest made by a Championship club. West Ham are poised for a rebuild after falling into the second tier and will hope that bringing in £85m for one player eases their financial concerns. They lost £104.2m last year. Daniel Kretinsky, who is due to become the club’s largest shareholder after agreeing to buy a portion of the Gold family’s shares, is expected to inject fresh capital into the club.
However, West Ham are still expected to lose the Netherlands winger Crysencio Summerville, who is a target for United and Chelsea. Aston Villa, Everton, Liverpool, United and Chelsea are monitoring Jarrod Bowen but West Ham are desperate to hold on to their captain. Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Jean-Clair Todibo are also likely to leave.
