Manchester United target Fernandes as West Ham's relegation weakens their £85m asking price

Manchester United are closing in on a move for West Ham midfielder Mateus Fernandes, with the 21-year-old expected to leave the London Stadium this summer after the Hammers’ relegation from the Premier League stripped the club of much of its negotiating leverage.

West Ham have placed an £85m price tag on Fernandes, but that figure is widely regarded as an opening gambit. United are unwilling to exceed £70m, and with the player himself understood to be keen on a move, West Ham’s hand is considerably weaker than their owner’s public statements suggest. A deal in the region of £58m would already set a new record sale for a Championship club.

Daniel Kretinsky, the Czech billionaire set to become West Ham’s largest shareholder, gave an interview in which he struck a defiant tone. “We don’t need to sell the players for financial reasons,” he said. “We are doing this to make sure we are promoted back to the Premier League immediately. That is our only goal. Key players are waiting for us. They want to see there is a real chance of keeping the squad together.”

Those words will have reassured supporters, but they sit awkwardly alongside the commercial reality of relegation. Premier League clubs hold a structural advantage over Championship sides in the transfer market, and United have moved quickly to exploit it. Fernandes carries the unfortunate distinction of back-to-back top-flight relegations — he joined West Ham from Southampton last year — but his underlying profile, combining technical quality with physical attributes at just 21, has attracted interest from both United and Real Madrid.

West Ham are aware the player is likely to go, and that awareness is already eroding their position. Clubs rarely stand in the way of a high-value sale when the player’s desire to leave is clear and the proceeds can be reinvested in a promotion push. The Championship demands total commitment from its squads, and a player with his head turned by interest from Old Trafford and the Bernabéu is not the profile a newly relegated side can afford to carry.

United’s interest does not stop with Fernandes. Crysencio Summerville has also emerged as a target for the left wing, with West Ham valuing the winger at around £50m. United have been seeking reinforcement on the left flank for some time; Matheus Cunha, signed last year, has shown a tendency to drift into central areas, leaving a gap that the club’s recruitment team is now actively looking to fill.

A double raid on West Ham this summer would represent a significant statement of intent from United, and for the Hammers, the priority of rebuilding for an immediate return to the top flight may ultimately outweigh any desire to hold firm on valuations.