Why Man Utd should be happy about Tottenham's Mateus Fernandes hijack

Updated: 26 Jun 2026 09:49 BST | 5 min read

Michael Carrick, Mateus Fernandes, Roberto de Zerbi — © IMAGO

Tom Weber | Writer

Multilingual sports writer who specialises in European football and American soccer.

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Manchester United and Tottenham are going head-to-head for the signing of West Ham midfielder Mateus Fernandes.

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The Red Devils have been chasing a deal for the Portugal international for weeks. Having resigned themselves to missing out on Elliot Anderson, who is now set to become the most expensive British player ever as part of his move to Man City, Man Utd pivoted to Fernandes some time ago.

The player is understood to be keen on a move to Old Trafford. Fernandes previously spoke glowingly about Cristiano Ronaldo's time at Man Utd, and he wants to link up with compatriot Bruno Fernandes.

Current ETV

Mateus Fernandes

M (C)

West Ham

Mateus Fernandes

M (C)

West Ham

ETV Range

€26.1M - €31.8M

Personal terms with Fernandes have not proved to be a roadblock for Man Utd. The real problem has been agreeing a fee with relegated West Ham, who are playing hardball over a fee.

It is believed that the Hammers will have to sell to balance the books, but a cash injection from Daniel Kretinsky, who looks poised to increase his stake in the club, could alleviate the problem to some extent.

Why Man Utd shouldn't spend €100m on Fernandes

Fernandes has also fielded interest from various other suitors, but Man Utd were believed to be the clear favourites to sign him. That was until Wednesday, when it was reported that Spurs had stepped on the gas in their pursuit of the 21-year-old.

It was claimed that not only were Spurs determined to beat Man Utd to his signature and considering making a bid, but that they were also prepared to match West Ham's exorbitant asking price of over €90 million.

The assertion was that Tottenham were ready to pay as much as €100m for Fernandes, and it later emerged that they were already in "advanced" discussions with the player's entourage.

At this stage, the race to sign Fernandes is not yet decided, but the news of Spurs' hijack will have come as a hammer blow to Man Utd. That said, perhaps it is actually for the better.

Man Utd are trying to be disciplined with their spending this summer. Ahead of their return to the Champions League, they are looking to buy volume to beef up their squad. This means that we likely won't see many, if any, big-money, marquee signings from the Red Devils.

INEOS refused to let themselves be drawn into a bidding war for Anderson, and they may take the same stance with Fernandes. Unless Sir Jim Ratcliffe and company become incredibly desperate, they likely won't be paying €100m for the youngster this summer.

This is the right thing to do because, at this point, you are still paying for potential. There is no doubt that Fernandes was a standout performer in the past two seasons, but the bar wasn't particularly high: both of his teams, Southampton and West Ham, were dire and ended up getting relegated.

The fact that Fernandes is far from the finished product is reflected in his Estimated Transfer Value (ETV), which currently stands at just €28.9m - a far cry from his €100m price tag. Man Utd should be happy to let Spurs break the bank on the 21-year-old.

Club legend Paul Ince agrees, calling the money being touted for Fernandes right now "absolute madness." He told TEAMtalk: "I know he’s technically a very good player, but when you pay that much money for midfield players, I want to see an all-rounder.

"I look at how I used to play, or Roy Keane, Patrick Vieira, Steven Gerrard - lads who went up and down, scored goals, put in massive tackles, and set up chances. Pure all-rounders.

"I don’t think a lot of these modern players are true all-rounders. So, for clubs to spend this type of money is pure madness."

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