Transfer stand-off: English side “adamant” over not lowering their asking price despite 21yo maestro yearning for United – BBC

Manchester United have started their squad revamp in earnest as they agreed an initial £35 million deal for Ederson. INEOS are clearly not done, as after securing the Brazilian, the focus has shifted to trying to agree a deal with West Ham United for Mateus Fernandes. The 21-year-old has made it clear that he would prefer a switch to Old Trafford over any other destination, and now it is up to the clubs to come to an agreement. The Hammers had initially slapped a £84 million price tag on the Portuguese midfielder’s head, double of what the London side had paid Southampton for his services. Stand-off between United and West Ham Following West Ham’s relegation, United felt such an exorbitant price tag was unrealistic and were willing to pay around £60 million. However, according to the BBC, West Ham are adamant they do not need to sell despite losing their Premier League status and are unwilling to budge from their asking price of £80 million. Journalist Simon Stone wrote, “I would be surprised if the deal for Mateus Fernandes didn’t get done. “I believe the club are in a bit of a stand-off with West Ham United at the moment, who are adamant they don’t have to sell and want £80m.” United remain confident of signing Mateus Fernandes What this effectively means is that, unlike with the Ederson deal, the Red Devils will not reach an amicable resolution anytime soon. This saga might drag on for a bit longer, until West Ham realise the folly of their ways and are forced to accept a lower fee. It is well known that they need to raise money following their dramatic downfall. One good thing for the 20-time English league champions is that Mateus Fernandes did not make the Portugal World Cup squad, so there is time to agree a deal. United will still be confident of agreeing a deal before pre-season kicks off so as to allow Michael Carrick more time to integrate his ideas with the whole squad. Feature image Julian Finney 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 Ayantan Chowdhury After failing to become a professional footballer, Ayantan switched to the next best thing: writing about the greatest football club in the world. He has extensive sports journalism experience, having worked for over 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25