100m star “very keen” to join United, club expect to close extraordinary deal – Fabrizio Romano

Manchester United are treading carefully in their pursuit of West Ham United midfielder Mateus Fernandes. Last week, Sky Sports claimed United are preparing an opening offer for Fernandes. However, as things stand, the Red Devils are yet to formally submit their proposal. At this point, the most obvious and biggest hurdle seems to be West Ham’s sky-high valuation of their player, despite their well-documented financial struggles following relegation to the Championship. West Ham believe Mateus Fernandes is ideally a £100m player Speaking on his YouTube channel, Fabrizio Romano tried to give a clearer picture of the game of chess between Manchester United and West Ham United. The journalist claims United are in “direct contact” with Mateus Fernandes‘ camp, with the player “very keen” on moving to Old Trafford. Discussions over personal terms are thought to be progressing well. West Ham signed the 21-year-old Portuguese playmaker from Southampton last summer for just under £40m.  Now, Romano suggests that West Ham ideally wanted £100m for Fernandes but “the expectation is that they could close the deal around £85m, not less than this,” he adds. It is understood United are now negotiating to pay less than that figure and are “not in a rush”. However, more clubs are thought to be interested in Fernandes, so the Red Devils might be forced to accelerate their efforts to avoid a late hijack.  Manchester United confident of striking agreement Meanwhile, according to Theatre of Red’s Shaun Connolly, Manchester United remain “confident of a deal” for Fernandes. However, INEOS “will not allow the selling party to dictate the matter”.  “He is keen on a move to Old Trafford, and staff are excited to add him to the squad. Patience is required,” Connolly insists.  Mateus Fernandes Premier League stats: 2025/26 Season Appearances36 Minutes per game84 Touches58.9 Key passes1.0 Accurate passes37.9 Interceptions 1.0 Tackles 2.9 Goals and assists 7 Source: Sofascore West Ham’s apparent tough negotiating stance is interesting given that in February of this year, they themselves announced that they would need to sell players in the summer even if they avoided relegation from the Premier League, after recording a £104.2m loss for the last financial year. As long as the figures at United are composed and there is no bidding war, Fernandes should move to Manchester for a much more reasonable fee than what is being quoted in east London. Featured image Clive Rose via Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Vishal Singh Vishal has worked in the football media industry for over six years, planning, writing, and editing content for several major outlets, including North Star Network. Vishal has a bachelor’s degree in English Literature from Delhi University. Currently a writer at The Peoples Person, he covers Manchester United — a club he has been religiously following and supporting since 2012. Vishal also manages a leading MUFC fan page, The Red Devils, on Facebook with over a million likes. Big fan of ball-playing centre-backs and Harry Maguire’s knee-slide celebration!