Manchester United Pursue Mateus Fernandes Amid West Ham's £100m Valuation

Manchester United have opened a careful, calculated pursuit of Mateus Fernandes, aware they are walking into one of the summer’s toughest negotiations.

The 21-year-old West Ham United midfielder is high on United’s list. He wants the move. Talks with his camp are active and positive. Yet, as of now, there is still no formal bid on the table.

United are biding their time. West Ham are not.

A £100m stance from a club that needs to sell

West Ham, relegated to the Championship and wrestling with well-publicised financial issues, are holding firm. They value Fernandes at £100 million, a staggering figure for a player they signed from Southampton last summer for just under £40m.

On his YouTube channel, Fabrizio Romano outlined the current stand-off, describing “direct contact” between United and the player’s representatives and stressing Fernandes is “very keen” on a move to Old Trafford. Personal terms, Romano suggests, are not the problem.

The fee is.

Romano reports that while West Ham see him as a £100m player, “the expectation is that they could close the deal around £85m, not less than this.” United, for their part, are pushing to drive that number down and are “not in a rush”.

That patience carries a risk. Other clubs are circling, aware of Fernandes’ profile and age, and any hesitation from Old Trafford could invite a late hijack.

United confident, INEOS unmoved by pressure

Inside United, there is quiet confidence. According to Theatre of Red’s Shaun Connolly, the club still believe a deal can be struck, but the new INEOS-led regime will not be bounced into overpaying.

“INEOS will not allow the selling party to dictate the matter,” Connolly reports. Fernandes wants the move, the staff are “excited to add him to the squad,” and the message from within Carrington is clear: patience.

This is not the United of old, lurching into auctions and paying whatever it takes. The structure is firmer now, the lines on valuation more defined. If West Ham are banking on a desperate late surge from Old Trafford, they may be misreading the room.

A rising playmaker with Premier League proof

The numbers explain why West Ham are digging in. Fernandes has quickly become one of the most intriguing young midfielders in England.

In the 2025/26 Premier League season, he made 36 appearances, averaging 84 minutes per game. On the ball, he averaged 58.9 touches and 37.9 accurate passes per match, with 1.0 key pass per game. Off the ball, he contributed 1.0 interception and 2.9 tackles per match. Across the campaign, he delivered seven combined goals and assists.

Those figures paint a picture of a complete, modern midfielder: busy, aggressive, and productive at both ends. At 21, he offers upside as much as immediate impact.

West Ham know it. So do United.

Financial reality vs transfer poker

What makes West Ham’s stance so striking is their own admission earlier this year. In February, the club publicly acknowledged they would need to sell players this summer, even if they avoided relegation, after posting a £104.2m loss for the last financial year.

Relegation followed. The need to sell did not go away.

That is the tension at the heart of this saga. West Ham must project strength in the market, particularly over a prized asset like Fernandes, while the balance sheet pushes them in the opposite direction. United, sensing that pressure, are trying to keep the temperature low and the price sensible.

As long as United stay disciplined and a bidding war does not erupt, the expectation around the deal is that Fernandes will move to Manchester for a fee below the eye-watering figures being floated in east London.

The question now is simple: who blinks first – the club that needs to sell, or the club that refuses to be held to ransom?