Manchester United have intensified their interest in West Ham midfielder Mateus Fernandes ahead of the summer transfer window, making the 21-year-old Portuguese one of their primary midfield targets.
Fernandes joined West Ham from Southampton last August in a deal rising to £42 million, and despite the club’s miserable season, he has been one of their most consistent performers.
He has four goals and four assists in 30 appearances across all competitions, and his combination of powerful ball-carrying, press resistance and duel-winning ability has drawn attention from clubs well above West Ham’s current standing in the table.
The Hammers are 18th in the Premier League and fighting for their top-flight lives, and that fight is shaping his future.
A relegation clause in his contract changes everything. Per multiple reports, if West Ham go down, any club can sign Fernandes for £27 million, a figure well below the £42 million West Ham paid and the kind of deal that makes a spending-conscious United board sit up.
The Manchester Evening News described Fernandes as the kind of alternative that West Ham’s financial situation could make available to United, and sources have told said that United are already positioned to move if the relegation clause is triggered.
Liverpool have also joined the race, per TEAMtalk, which complicates the pursuit. Manchester City are also interested, and Real Madrid have been monitoring the clause situation as well.
United believe their position in the Champions League places is a genuine advantage over the other clubs involved, but the race is tightening, and a decision on West Ham’s survival will likely determine where Fernandes ends up.
