It may seem only a matter of time before Mateus Fernandes’ brief, brilliant West Ham United career comes to an end, but the size of the fee required to secure his signature remains subject to much debate.
Hammers News reported on Tuesday morning that the Londoners are looking for over £60 million for the Portugal international.
Suggestions that Manchester United could nab Mateus Fernandes for £40 million – the same sum West Ham United handed to Southampton as recently as August 2025 – have been laughed off behind the scenes.
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As is often the case in situations such as this, one suspects the eventual transfer fee will fall somewhere in the middle; a little more than frontrunners Man United would ideally like to pay, and also lower than West Ham’s initial asking price.
Mateus Fernandes could break a Championship record at West Ham United
United Muppetiers, an influential ‘ITK’ with an excellent track record when it comes to predicting ins and outs at Old Trafford, feels that a deal could be done for an initial £55 million, plus add-ons.
This would see Mateus Fernandes become the most expensive sale ever made by a Championship club.
Yes, we know, describing West Ham as a ‘Championship club’ makes the acute pain of relegation sting that little bit more. But that is the situation facing Nuno Espirito Santo and co this summer.
Survive, and they could have doubled their money. Club legend Tony Gale felt that the bidding for Fernandes should’ve ideally started at £80 million.
One of the more damaging effects of relegation is that the values previously attributed to star performers will have to be reassessed.
Still, the initial £53 million deal which took Romeo Lavia from Southampton to Chelsea in 2023 is unlikely to remain the biggest in Championship history for much longer.
Hackney voted the dream signing! Do you have any OTHER suggestions?
Fernandes likely to cost more than Chelsea’s Romeo Lavia
Interestingly, Mateus Fernandes currently has a place in the top-five already. The Saints raked in a further £40 million when selling the 21-year-old to the Hammers.
Only Nathan Ake [Bournemouth to Man City], James Maddison [Norwich to Leicester], Georginio Rutter [Leeds to Brighton], plus Lavia, have left second-tier clubs for larger sums.
James Ward-Prowse and Crysencio Summerville, who joined West Ham from Southampton and Leeds respectively, also sit inside the top 20.
“The reports about Mateus being close to being sold to Man United or anyone else are total rubbish,” that club source tells Hammers News, determined to maintain a sense of control over Fernandes’ future.
“We do not want to sell him at any price – and £40 million would be laughed at.”
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