Manchester United are having to fend off increasing interest in Mateus Fernandes, with most of the Big Six eyeing up the West Ham midfielder.<\/p>\n
Fernandes has been the subject of enquiries from Tottenham Hotspur in recent days, with Manchester City and Liverpool also credited with an interest<\/a> in the Portuguese talent.<\/p>\n But United seem to lead the chase for Fernandes, having been on his tail since before the end of the season, when the 21-year-old suffered his second relegation in successive seasons.<\/p>\n That Fernandes has shone in a wretched Southampton team and a West Ham side that has shown only sporadic form highlights the midfielder\u2019s quality.<\/p>\n It also illustrates why West Ham are looking to more than double their money<\/a> on a player they signed from Southampton for at least \u00a338million a year ago.<\/p>\n That fee gave Saints a huge return on their \u00a315million investment when they bought Fernandes from Sporting Lisbon in 2024.<\/p>\n Here are five reasons United \u2013 and everyone else \u2013 are so keen to land Fernandes\u2026<\/p>\n 1) Age and potential<\/p>\n Fernandes is yet to turn 22, but he\u2019s experienced more highs and lows in his career so far than many other 21-year-olds, adapting seamlessly to different environments, including a loan move away from Sporting Lisbon to Estoril for a season before Saints brought him to England just out of his teens.<\/p>\n Younger than the other elite Premier League midfielders set for big moves this summer \u2013 Adam Wharton (22), Elliot Anderson (23), Enzo Fernandez (25), Sandro Tonali (26) \u2013 there is also a feeling that Fernandes is still furthest from his ceiling.<\/p>\n Ex-Southampton coach and caretaker manager Simon Rusk worked with Fernandes at St Mary\u2019s and spoke in glowing terms to Sky Sports<\/a> about his mental toughness, his \u2018growth mindset\u2019, and how quickly he can take on board new information, technically and tactically.<\/p>\n In Fernandes, United see a midfielder who could be around for another decade, but one whose value has most room to increase from whatever they might agree to pay West Ham. Which brings us to\u2026<\/p>\n 2) Best value for money<\/p>\n We know how much emphasis United place on value, despite the millions they spaffed away prior to Sir Jim Ratcliffe taking control of the purse strings.<\/p>\n Of the Big Six, only United and Spurs are yet to pay \u00a3100million-plus for a player and they seem dead set against breaking that barrier this summer or any time soon, hence why Manchester City have a free run at Anderson.<\/p>\n There is no question United thought there was a bargain to be had when they began assessing their summer targets. The Red Devils will have been happy to watch West Ham fail to keep themselves afloat in the Premier League, assuming the Hammers could be squeezed on a fee for Fernandes.<\/p>\n At season\u2019s end, United seemed to think they could get Fernandes for less than \u00a360million. But it no longer looks as simple as that.<\/a><\/p>\n West Ham value Fernandes at \u00a380million-85million, a starting point in negotiations which looks stronger than United would have hoped, owing to the growing interest from elsewhere and the Hammers\u2019 new majority shareholder Daniel Kretinsky insisting the club does not need a fire sale.<\/p>\n Plus, West Ham will have to forward 15% of any fee to Southampton owing to their sell-on clause, which further incentivises the Hammers to play hard ball.<\/p>\n Still, at \u00a380million, Fernandes seems to represent a fair deal. Wharton won\u2019t be any cheaper; Newcastle have already turned down that fee for Tonali<\/a>; Forest expect to bank around \u00a3120million for Anderson, while Chelsea are hardly likely to take much less than the \u00a3106million they paid for Fernandez.<\/p>\n MORE: The 20 most expensive midfielders ever: absurd \u00a3316.8m Chelsea quadruple splurge included<\/a><\/p>\n 3) Elite passing quality<\/p>\n The trait that most stands out in Fernandes\u2019 skill set is the quality of his passing.<\/p>\n Our friends at Gradient Sports rank Fernandes sixth in the Premier League for ball distribution (graded 85.9, just above \u00a3100million-plus men Declan Rice and Moises Caicedo), while his passing grade places him sixth among 102 eligible centre-midfielders, behind only Wharton of the four midfielders mentioned above.<\/p>\n Drilling down further into his passing range, among centre-midfielders, Fernandes is graded as the best one-touch passer (83.6); third for through-ball passing (83.0); and fourth for over-the-top passing (82.9).<\/p>\n Unless Michael Carrick has some shape shifts up his sleeves, Fernandes would be expected to play as part of a double pivot in midfield, where he has shown an impressive willingness to take the ball in tight spaces before offering a different passing dimension to what the Red Devils already have.<\/p>\n And if opponents step off and allow Fernandes to carry the ball, his 81.0 dribbling grade ranks him fourth among all Premier League centre-midfielders.<\/p>\n Out of possession too, Fernandes proved to be one of the best midfielders last season\u2026<\/p>\n 4) An all-round midfielder<\/p>\n