Fabrizio Romano has issued a warning to Manchester United regarding their pursuit of Mateus Fernandes.

Although the player himself is said to be ‘very keen’ on a move to Old Trafford, he has a host of suitors forming a queue for his signature, which may throw a spanner in the works for INEOS.

Mateus Fernandes: The state of play

West Ham originally had set their sights on receiving a £100 million fee for the 21-year-old starlet, but have now dropped their price tag to a more feasible £85m.

United, having just agreed a £39m deal for Atalanta’s Ederson, are still looking to reduce the upfront fee they’d pay, presumably by pledging some lucrative add-ons for the now-relegated club.

Appearances Starts Goal contributions Minutes played
72 69 13 5,948
Fernandes’ complete Premier League record

That’s where another side could easily enter the mix and match the Irons’ demands, though.

The likes of Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain, both of whom are on the back of winning major trophies and have established their interest in Fernandes, would be able to commit to the sum while United are dragging their heels.

What Romano is hearing about United and Fernandes

Weighing in on the situation on his YouTube channel overnight, Romano said: “United are in direct contact with the player’s camp, and the player is very keen on a move to United.

“The discussions on the player side are going well, and with his camp. It now depends on club-to-club [talks]. West Ham start at £85m valuation for Fernandes, ideally they wanted £100m, but the expectation is that they could close a deal around £85m – no less than this.

“United’s initial discussions with those taking care of the deal is under £85m. United want to spend less than this. So, there’s a conversation [to be had].”

He continued: “Man United want to be smart. They don’t want to pay crazy transfer fees. At the same time, West Ham want their money. So now there’s this game to play. There are more clubs interested in Mateus Fernandes, so Man United will have to be careful to avoid other clubs entering into deals for the Portugal midfielder.”

Fernandes was unfortunate to miss out on a World Cup call-up this summer, so he’ll be unable to add to his one Portugal cap.

Yet, that does mean that United could wrap up an agreement in the coming weeks without any tournament interference and have him in Michael Carrick’s ranks in time for pre-season.

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  • Isabel, 25, is a football writer who has previously gained experience in the industry as the editor of Stretty News, along with work on Caught Offside, Last Word on Football and Give Me Sport. She is now the editor of UtdReport.

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