Tottenham beat Man Utd to Mateus Fernandes signing - David Ornstein

Updated: 1 Jul 2026 12:04 BST | 4 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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Tottenham have defeated Manchester United in the race to sign West Ham midfielder Mateus Fernandes.

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The Portugal international has been the subject of an immense tug-of-war between these two Premier League heavyweights, with Man Utd making early inroads. It was thought that personal terms would not have been an issue for him.

The real problem was agreeing a deal with West Ham, who insisted that they wanted to keep Fernandes and slapped a price tag of more than €90 million on the 21-year-old.

Current ETV

Mateus Fernandes

M (C)

West Ham

Mateus Fernandes

M (C)

West Ham

ETV Range

€26.1M - €31.8M

Man Utd were not prepared to go that high for a player who, although clearly talented, has suffered back-to-back relegations. This allowed Tottenham to swoop in.

Last week, it emerged that Spurs were prepared to match West Ham's hefty valuation as they seek to completely revamp their team, following consecutive 17th-place finishes. This prompted Man Utd to hold new talks with Fernandes and West Ham - but it was in vain.

Spurs agree Fernandes deal

According to David Ornstein of The Athletic, Tottenham have won the race to sign the tenacious midfielder after agreeing to pay an eye-watering guaranteed fee of €98 million for him.

Tottenham have also bettered Man Utd's contract proposal to the player in order to get him to snub a move to Old Trafford. Reports previously claimed that he would have favoured a move to the Red Devils to play alongside compatriot Bruno Fernandes.

However, the money involved has ultimately proved too much for Man Utd, and Fernandes will instead be heading to Spurs to become their fourth signing of what is shaping up to be an incredibly busy - and ambitious - summer.

Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi and Jan Paul van Hecke have already joined, while discussions continue over a move for Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali, who remains a key target despite the impending signing of Fernandes.

Tottenham look poised to spend well over €200 million this summer as they back Roberto de Zerbi ahead of his first full season in charge after he saved them from relegation in the final weeks of the previous campaign.

The frugal Tottenham of Daniel Levy are a distant memory now. Spurs are one of the biggest clubs in the Premier League, and they are finally acting like it in the transfer market.

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