Tottenham's pursuit of West Ham midfielder Mateus Fernandes has been thrown into doubt after Manchester United made a huge offer to hijack the deal, according to the Standard.
Spurs had been leading the chase for the 21-year-old Portugal international, valued at £80m by West Ham, but the Standard reports that 'in the last hours' United have moved to overtake them. Fernandes has long been linked with both Old Trafford and Paris St-Germain, but Tottenham appeared to be closing in after accelerating their interest following a failed bid for Newcastle's Sandro Tonali.
“Manchester United make huge late offer to beat Tottenham to £80m-rated West Ham midfielder Mateus Fernandes.”
Tottenham's offer for Tonali, worth about £80m, was rejected by Newcastle last week. Spurs boss Roberto de Zerbi is a long-time admirer of his compatriot, but the Italy international has four years left on his contract after signing a new deal to repay the faith shown by the Magpies during his 10-month ban for breaching betting rules.
With the Tonali pursuit stalled, Spurs turned their focus to Fernandes. Talks were progressing positively and optimism was growing at the club that an agreement could be reached. Yet the sudden emergence of a rival bid from Manchester United has complicated matters.
Tottenham have made a fast start in the transfer market this summer, already signing four players. On Wednesday they agreed a deal for Burnley goalkeeper Martin Dubravka on a free transfer, adding to defensive reinforcements Marcos Senesi and Andy Robertson – both also free transfers from Bournemouth and Liverpool respectively – and Netherlands defender Jan Paul van Hecke, who cost £52m from Brighton.
Whether Tottenham will now increase their offer for Fernandes or turn to other targets remains to be seen, but the battle for the West Ham star appears far from over.