Man Utd take major steps in pursuit of £42m relegation-threatened midfielder who is ‘open’ to Old Trafford switch

Manchester United have reportedly been in ongoing talks with Mateus Fernandes for the last four to six weeks.That’s according to Ben Jacobs (via The United Stand), who has revealed that the Red Devils have been trying to determine whether Fernandes would be ‘open’ to making the switch to Old Trafford – and they have found out that he is.DOWNLOAD THE OFFICIAL STRETTY NEWS APP FOR ALL THE LATEST UPDATES & BREAKING NEWS – STRAIGHT TO YOUR PHONE! ON APPLE & GOOGLE PLAYWhy United’s potential pursuit of Mateus Fernandes hinges on upcoming resultsHowever, one factor that is said to be imperative in United’s pursuit is West Ham’s relegation.The Irons dropped back into the bottom three last weekend following a 3-0 defeat to Brentford, which Tottenham Hotspur capitalised on by beating Aston Villa 2-1 to move up to 17th.Want more Stretty News coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trustOn Sunday, West Ham will be looking to bounce back by overturning, or at least taking a point, from their clash with London rivals and Premier League leaders Arsenal.Should the club manage to escape the drop by the end of the month, they will be adamant about keeping hold of Fernandes, who they signed only last August in a £42 million (£38m upfront + £4m in add-ons) transfer from Southampton. Club Appearances (starts) Goal contributions Minutes played West Ham 33 (32) 6 2,756 Southampton 36 (34) 6 2,922 West Ham will try to price United out of a deal for FernandesStaying in the top flight would then allow the Hammers to name their price tag for the youngster, and it would be an exorbitant one, given they want to deter any potential suitors. Mateus Fernandes scores from close range and West Ham are back in it 👀 📺 Watch live on TNT Sports and HBO Max pic.twitter.com/yNmv1h3fgf — Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) April 5, 2026Fernandes, 21, earned his maiden Portugal cap last month in a 2-0 win against the United States. Whether he’ll have done enough to be in contention to make Roberto Martinez’s World Cup squad remains to be seen, as the Portuguese certainly aren’t short of quality in the middle of the park.When asked to name his footballing role model, the Algrave native actually opted for none other than United’s talisman and skipper, Bruno Fernandes.“The biggest one right now is Bruno [Fernandes] because of the player he already is,” said Fernandes.“Back when I was at Sporting [CP], I looked up to him and tried to learn from him. He plays in the same league as me, he has a lot of experience with the national team, and, in the Premier League, I try to watch him a lot. Without a doubt, he stands out.”