Mateus Fernandes exit certainty emerges at West Ham as Man United stand by

Mateus Fernandes remains a hot topic at West Ham United heading into the summer.

The Portugal international has shone for the Hammers since his move from Southampton last summer, attracting interest across the continent as a result.

Nuno Espirito Santo's side would drop down to the Championship on the final day of the season, leaving it all but certain that the 21-year-old will be on his way out over the summer.

Alongside his own personal ambitions, the Irons need to raise upwards of £150million in player sales as they prepare for life in the second tier.

Selling Fernandes would go a long way to reaching that target.

As sides put in the groundwork for the coming season, talks are intensifying regarding Manchester United and the West Ham star once again.

New update shared on Mateus Fernandes to Man United

For months, the Red Devils have been named as the club likely to steal the Portugal youngster this summer.

Though talks have proven difficult, with the £85m valuation proving a tough ask.

This could change, though, with Tyrone Marshall of the Manchester Evening News saying: "United are definitely still in for Fernandes, and I wouldn't read too much into that asking price at the moment.

"It's still very early in the window, and this is all part of the negotiation.

"United won't pay £85m for Fernandes, but I'm sure West Ham know they won't get that fee either. I would think a compromise can be struck, especially if Fernandes makes it clear he wants to move to Old Trafford."

At 21, Fernandes knows that his next move is a big one, after impressing in the Premier League for both Southampton and West Ham.

At the moment, he is stuck, with the Hammers knowing that they have to bring in big fees, while a move is also best for all parties.

Both himself and the club won't want that to be forced, but the young midfielder may just have to apply some pressure to get that over the line.

West Ham cannot risk Fernandes mistake

West Ham are stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Naturally, they want to extract the absolute most out of a potential deal, with the likes of Crysencio Summerville and Taty Castellanos also out of the door this summer.

But they cannot hold on to their stars for too long - it would be a mistake.

Preparing for life in the second tier, the Irons cannot return to pre-season with players who do not want to be there, while the needed funds from the sales would allow them to fully get their recruitment underway.

There are still three weeks to go until the start of pre-season, but the ball needs to get rolling soon when it comes to departures, or West Ham risk heading into a crucial summer drastically underprepared.