Manchester United contact West Ham over £80m Mateus Fernandes as Maguire lands podcast role

Manchester United have contacted West Ham United about signing midfielder Mateus Fernandes, with the relegated London club valuing the 21-year-old at £80million, according to reports from ESPN and The Times.

The approach would represent United’s second significant midfield addition of the summer, following the reported agreement of a £38.8million deal to sign Atalanta’s Ederson. Manager Michael Carrick is prioritising the engine room ahead of the club’s return to the Champions League next season, with the departure of Casemiro having left a prominent gap in central midfield.

Fernandes impressed throughout his debut season at the London Stadium and has also attracted interest from Arsenal. West Ham, facing estimated losses of around £100million following their relegation from the Premier League, are expected to sanction a number of player sales to offset the financial impact of dropping into the Championship.

Meanwhile, Harry Maguire’s immediate plans have taken shape away from international football. The 33-year-old centre-back was omitted from Thomas Tuchel’s 26-man England squad for the World Cup — the second consecutive major tournament he has missed, having been ruled out of Euro 2024 through injury — but is set to feature as a guest on The Rest is Football podcast during the competition, according to The Athletic.

The podcast, hosted by Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer and Micah Richards, will broadcast 40 episodes from a studio overlooking Times Square in New York City, with Maguire among a number of high-profile guests expected to appear throughout the tournament.