- West Ham need to raise £150 million this summer
- A number of teams are chasing midfielder Mateus Fernandes
- Manchester United are set to step up their pursuit of the player
West Ham United’s summer of player departures may be about to begin, with the club’s highest valued asset set to be the case of bidding war over the next few weeks.
The Hammers need to raise £150 million this window before they can begin building a team that they believe will get them out of the Championship. Mateus Fernandes is the one player that West Ham believe can make them the most money, valuing the 21-year-old at £80 million.
A host of clubs are interested in the Portugal midfielder, with Paris Saint-Germain and Liverpool both monitoring the situation. It now appears that Manchester United are the team at the front of the queue, after already purchasing a midfielder this week.
Manchester United to step up Mateus Fernandes pursuit
According to ESPN, Manchester United are expected to begin the bidding war for West Ham’s Fernandes after the Red Devils confirmed the signing of Ederson from Serie A side Atalanta.
Michael Carrick’s team have already made contact with the player’s representatives, with both parties keen to get things moving towards a deal. What lies in the way is that United are still far apart from the Hammers on valuation.
The Irons value Fernandes at £80 million, around double what they paid Southampton for the 21-year-old last summer. At present, the Red Devils want to secure his services for around £40 million, well below the Hammers original valuation.
West Ham are said to be happy to budge on the amount they want for Fernandes, given their financial situation. Despite this the Hammers will only come down as far as £60 million as they look to raise as much money from as little amount of players as possible.
