Manchester United's Midfield Plans: Wilcox Targets Fernandes

Jason Wilcox is quietly trying to reshape Manchester United’s midfield in his own image – and Mateus Fernandes has moved close to the centre of that plan.

United already have Ederson Silva lined up from Atalanta, a deal designed to smooth the transition away from Casemiro and give Michael Carrick fresh legs and bite at the base of midfield. They are pushing hard for Elliot Anderson as well, but that pursuit has hit a wall. Nottingham Forest want in excess of £100 million, a price United are reluctant to meet while they rebuild under Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s regime.

So the search has widened. And Fernandes, currently at West Ham, has surged towards the top of Wilcox’s list.

Wilcox’s man

This is not a name plucked from a database. Wilcox knows Fernandes. He helped bring him to Southampton in 2024, laying the groundwork for that move before leaving his post as the Saints’ director of football. That history matters now.

According to The Guardian, Wilcox is personally monitoring Fernandes as a serious option to reinforce Carrick’s midfield and is driving United’s push for a 2026 summer deal for the 21‑year‑old Portugal international. TEAMtalk go further, reporting that Wilcox has already made direct contact with the player’s agents and that his long‑standing relationship with Fernandes “could prove decisive” as United look to fend off rival interest.

Wilcox has tracked the midfielder’s performances since his switch to West Ham and, by all accounts, has been impressed. Inside Old Trafford, the belief is that Fernandes has the temperament and talent to step up and become a key figure in United’s next iteration.

A relegated asset, a rising price

West Ham’s relegation to the Championship has complicated and, at the same time, sharpened the situation. Fernandes currently earns around £70,000 a week at the London Stadium, but that figure is due to be cut in half next season because of relegation clauses.

United know they can comfortably match – and, crucially, restore – the level of salary he would have expected to receive at West Ham in the 2026/27 campaign. Ratcliffe’s backing gives them that financial muscle.

What it does not do is lower the fee. West Ham are holding out for around £80 million for a player they see as central to any immediate return to the Premier League. Championship status has not softened their stance; if anything, it has made Fernandes even more important to them, and therefore more expensive to prise away.

United, already wary of Forest’s £100m stance on Anderson, are weighing that number carefully. The need for quality is obvious. So is the need for smarter spending.

Direct talks and growing momentum

The interest is no longer theoretical. Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that United are in active negotiations with Fernandes’ camp.

“I can guarantee two things,” he said on his YouTube channel. “Man Utd are in direct conversations with the agents of Mateus Fernandes. Man Utd made contact over the last 48 hours with the agents of the player, and Man Utd started conversations about eventual cost of the deal, transfer fee and also salary.”

TEAMtalk add that Wilcox has “personally maintained contact” with the player’s representatives over a longer period, strengthening United’s position. Inside the club, there is a growing sense that if the race comes down to convincing the player, they will be very hard to beat.

That confidence is helped by the player’s own stance. Reports from May suggested Fernandes is “extremely keen” on a move to Old Trafford. Champions League ambitions, a leading role in a rebuilt midfield, and a director of football who already believes in him: it is a compelling package.

Building a new core

Put together, the picture is clear. Ederson Silva is coming. Anderson remains a target, albeit an expensive one. Fernandes is the emerging priority, the player Wilcox appears most determined to land.

This is not just about numbers in midfield. It is about constructing a new core for Carrick – younger, more dynamic, technically secure, and able to carry United through the next cycle rather than patching over the last one.

West Ham will fight to keep their asset. The fee will test United’s resolve and their new recruitment discipline. But with Wilcox pushing, Ratcliffe willing to pay top‑tier wages, and Fernandes open to the move, the lines are drawn.

If United do get him, it will be a signing that says as much about Wilcox’s influence as it does about Fernandes’ potential. And if they don’t, the question will be whether they can find another midfielder who fits this vision quite as neatly.