“Personal Terms Agreed” Spurs Edge Closer To £85m West Ham Star

By Kris Gonzo | Senior West Ham Columnist (Follow on X)

Tottenham Hotspur are understood to have agreed personal terms with Mateus Fernandes as the North Londoners edge ahead of Manchester United in the race for the midfielder’s signature.

Much like the bigwigs at Old Trafford, Spurs have been in negotiations with Fernandes’ agent, Jorge Mendes, for the best part of three weeks, which up until now has been the easiest part of the deal.

As Claret & Hugh revealed two weeks ago, Charles Lewis, son of Tottenham owner Joe Lewis, had spoken to a well-known football agent asking who at West Ham was actually dealing with transfers following the departures of Karren Brady and David Sullivan.

Tottenham were initially frustrated in their attempts to agree a fee with West Ham and, by all accounts, there has not been a huge amount of back and forth.

West Ham Holding Firm

West Ham have made their position abundantly clear to buying clubs.

Mateus Fernandes will cost between £80-85 million.

With a cash injection from Daniel Kretinsky expected soon, the club are perfectly willing to hang on to the Portuguese midfielder unless that valuation is met.

Silence Speaks Volumes

Thus far, attempts to sign the 21-year-old for around £70 million have not been met with a rejection from West Ham.

They’ve been met with silence.

It would now seem that both Tottenham and Manchester United are beginning to accept that it will take the full amount to prise Fernandes away from the London Stadium.

There is no relegation discount.

After all, it’s worth remembering that West Ham paid Southampton close to £40 million for the midfielder last summer when he had far less Premier League experience than he has today.

Spurs Now Lead The Race

Manchester United continue to leak stories suggesting Fernandes is too expensive and that they are struggling to find the necessary funds.

Considering the size of the club, that is a little baffling but I suspect it is a futile negotiating tactic and they’ll eventually up their offer.

However, all of the delay from Old Trafford seems to have put Tottenham in pole position.

As for West Ham, it is clear the days of refusing to do business with Tottenham Hotspur are long gone.

That was far more of an issue between David Sullivan and Daniel Levy.

As things stand, if Spurs become the first club to bid £85 million, Mateus Fernandes will almost certainly be heading to North London.