West Ham United’s eye-watering Mateus Fernandes price-tag already appears to have claimed one victim as Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid reportedly line up the Portugal international.
Hammers News reported, even before their relegation from the Premier League was confirmed, that West Ham wanted double the fee they paid Southampton for the Algarve-born dynamo in August 2025.
Mateus Fernandes arrived at the London Stadium for £40 million.
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After one exceptional season in the capital, during which the 21-year-old established himself as arguably the most complete young midfielder in the league outside of Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson, a who’s who of European royalty are fluttering their eyelashes in his direction.
Manchester United still appear to be at the front of the queue, though Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid return complicates matters. Reigning European champions PSG are big fans of Fernandes, too.
As are – deep breath – Liverpool, Arsenal, Napoli, Aston Villa, Chelsea and Atletico Madrid.
According to reports in Spain, though, West Ham’s demands have claimed at least one victim.
Atletico Madrid will not sign West Ham United’s Mateus Fernandes
Esto Es Atleti report that Fernandes is viewed as someone extremely well-suited to Diego Simeone’s knife-between-the-teeth approach at the Wanda Metropolitano. An extremely athletic, prodigiously hard-working but also technically supreme talent; Fernandes looks a more than suitable replacement for 34-year-old club legend Koke.
However, Esto Es Atleti add that West Ham’s £80 million price-tag is ‘completely beyond the financial plans of Atletico Madrid’s board, who consider it a prohibitive price’.
Los Colchoneros have reportedly ‘abandoned’ their pursuit in favour of more affordable alternatives.
Selling star forward Julian Alvarez to Barcelona for north of £100 million may have freed up the funds required. But with Atleti making it clear that Alvarez will not be leaving for a La Liga rival, Fernandes is off the table as things stand.
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The feeling is that West Ham are hoping for a bidding war to break out between Man United, Real Madrid, PSG and co. The first offers are unlikely to be anywhere near the £80 million mark, but the fee could creep up towards that if numerous offers arrive from European giants desperate to outdo each other.
“The reports about Mateus is close to being sold to Man United or anyone else are total rubbish,” a senior spokesman for the West Ham board exclusively told Hammers News in May.
“We do not want to sell him at any price – and £40 million would be laughed at.”
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