West Ham to hope for Mateus Fernandes convo with PSG pair to kickstart transfer tug-of-war
West Ham United are left sweating over Mateus Fernandes’ future this summer.
The midfielder made the move from Southampton last summer and became a star in the Hammers’ midfield.
Unfortunately, the Portuguese youngster would fall to the Championship for the second year running – sparking transfer interest once again.
The Irons must raise upwards of £100million before they can really get building for the second tier, and Fernandes could go a long way to helping with this.
And to get the ball rolling, they will seek a conversation between the 21-year-old and his compatriots, Vitinha and Joao Neves, with Paris Saint-Germain interested in his services.
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Portugal pair have shone for PSG – Mateus Fernandes could follow
Joining PSG in 2022 and 2024, respectively, Vitinha and Neves have been a revelation for the Parisians.
Lifting the Champions League for the second successive season on Saturday, the duo are among the best in the world in their position.
Fernandes would have liked to have gone to the World Cup with the pair, rather than his Under 21 call-up, but given his talent, it will not be long before he is alongside them.
Looking ahead to the summer, this could even be at club level.
With Fabian Ruiz not getting any younger, the European champions have registered their interest in West Ham’s Fernandes, as have Manchester United.
The favourable outcome for the Irons, though, would be PSG, who have not exactly proven frugal with their spending over the years.
Both Neves and Vitinha are loving life at the Parc des Princes, and if they could just get in the ear of their Portuguese colleague, they could well be able to choose who their next midfield partner could be.
And even if he were to still make the move to United, interest from the Ligue 1 outfit could ramp up the price massively – further aiding West Ham as they prepare for Championship life.
West Ham will wonder what could have been with Fernandes
Across the campaign, it is not often that the midfielder has let West Ham down.
His stats in terms of goal contributions do remain skewed, with three goals and four assists, but it must be considered that Fernandes has been operating in a much deeper role across recent months.
But he has often been the main source of quality in the middle of the park, with his supreme technical ability and effectiveness from range being integral under Nuno Espirito Santo.
Though this may not prove enough, the Hammers are now set for second-tier football.
As a club with much higher ambitions than simply fighting relegation, West Ham would love to keep and build around Fernandes.
However, he has proven himself as more than capable in the Premier League, and is likely to succeed wherever he does choose to move this summer.