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Tottenham have agreed a deal to sign Mateus Fernandes from West Ham.
The fee is understood to be £85m, and the player is now preparing to undergo a medical.
That figure would smash Tottenham's transfer record, which was a £65m deal for Dominic Solanke from Bournemouth in August 2024.
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Manchester United were also pursuing Fernandes, and pushed hard to sign him, but they will only buy players at the right valuation.
If completed, the deal will easily surpass Tottenham's transfer record, which was the £65m they paid for Dominic Solanke from Bournemouth in August 2024.
Decision-makers inside West Ham believe Fernandes was one of the best young players in the Premier League last season and has the potential to become as good as Declan Rice, who was sold to Arsenal for £105m in 2023.
Analysis: Relegated twice - so why is Fernandes worth £85m?
Sky Sports' Sam Blitz:
Last season, Fernandes proved his status as one of the Premier League's toughest tacklers and it's a feature that stands out for those who know him.
"That's no surprise that his tackling stats are very high," Simon Rusk, who worked with Fernandes at Southampton, tells Sky Sports.
"Both speaking to him and observing him, I could see that would be a feature in his game - and a strength."
Alongside the tough-tackling nature is a lot of high-intensity running to get to the challenge in the first place.
Fernandes sits in the top 10 Premier League midfielders for distance covered. And again, it follows the same pattern: if Anderson is the best first-choice option on the market, then Fernandes is pretty much the next best option available.
It wasn't always the plan when Fernandes was signed by Southampton; he was seen by then boss Russell Martin as a more advanced option.
"He was used as a little bit more as a No 10, a little bit more of an advanced role," he says. "But when I spoke to Matty through conversations with him, quite apparently, he saw himself as more of an all-round midfield player, more of a No 8.
"And that would lend himself to the defensive side of the game. What Matty wanted to do, he wanted to run. He wanted to be involved in the game as much as possible.
"But certainly, looking at his performances at West Ham this year, he certainly moved forward in terms of his game intelligence and mixed in with his strength, his tenacity and his engine."
West Ham noticed that desire for Fernandes to play slightly deeper too - using him mainly as a hybrid option between a No 6 and a No 8 in the season just gone.
Elliot Anderson's imminent £116m transfer to Manchester City from Nottingham Forest is expected to have a knock-on effect for other deals for midfielders in the transfer window.
As Sky Sports News told you in March, this summer was always going to be dominated by central midfielders, with a number of elite Premier League players expected to come onto the market.
Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham are still planning to make at least one addition in that position this summer, while Man City could yet sign another central midfielder after Anderson.
Man City agree £116m deal for Elliot Anderson
Better than Declan Rice? Why Anderson is worth so much
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Currently Sandro Tonali, Bruno Guimaraes, Mateus Fernandes and Alex Scott are being pursued by top Premier League clubs - and everyone involved has been keeping an eye on developments with Anderson.
The fee for the England star will help set the benchmark by which the valuations of other players are decided.
Will Tonali join Spurs?
Last week Spurs made an offer of almost £80m for Tonali that was knocked back immediately by Newcastle, who sold Anderson to Nottingham Forest for £35m two years ago.
Tonali is believed to be ready to sign for the North London club if the clubs can agree a deal, but Newcastle can point to the fact the Italian has three years to run on his contract and to the current £36m disparity in price with Anderson.
Sky Sports News has been told Tonali is keen to play for De Zerbi and a contract worth more than £275,000 per week would be ready and waiting for him to sign. City are also monitoring Tonali, who has also been on the lists at Arsenal and United.
City have been weighing up rivalling Spurs for Tonali alongside their move for Anderson. It remains to be seen if they will go for Tonali now the Anderson deal is wrapped up, with other factors - including departures - to consider.
Arsenal's Guimaraes interest
Arsenal have a long-term interest in Tonali but so far have not followed that up this summer and are exploring the conditions of a deal for his Newcastle team-mate, Guimaraes.
Contact has been made through intermediaries, and it is thought an informal proposal was rejected. Newcastle have not had any contact from Arsenal directly so far and do want to sell their captain, who has two years remaining on his contract.
Although Guimaraes, who turns 29 in November, is considered by many to be among the very best midfielders in the Premier League, his age means buying clubs may not be as willing to pay as much for him as some of the other players on the market this summer.
Will Spurs or Man Utd sign Fernandes?
Sky Sports News understands Spurs are willing to go as high as £85m for West Ham's Fernandes despite their relegation from the Premier League last season.
However, they could still face competition from Manchester United as they consider making an offer. It was understood that United previously valued Fernandes at £60m, but they may be prepared to go higher as they watch developments with other clubs closely.
United have already secured a deal for Ederson with Atalanta worth up to £39m, which is expected to be finalised after Brazil's World Cup campaign is over, but want to add at least one more and could sign a third if Manuel Ugarte is sold.
Scott wanted by Arsenal and Man Utd
Alex Scott at Bournemouth is another of their targets, and United – along with Arsenal – are considered the frontrunners as things stand.
Scott is perhaps not valued as highly as some of the previously mentioned players, but Bournemouth's stance that he is not for sale means it is likely that they would hold out for a big fee if one of the top clubs come calling.
Talks have already been held about a new deal, as Bournemouth hope Scott, who just missed out on the England World Cup squad, will continue under new boss Marco Rose. They also want to reward him financially after impressive performances last season.
The other midfielders that could move
Anderson's move will also see Forest target potentially two new midfielders, with interest in Spurs' Lucas Bergvall – who has told Spurs he wants to look for a new challenge – David Frattesi, Arne Engels and Hayden Hackney.
Chelsea and Liverpool are also on the lookout for new central midfielders along with Everton, Crystal Palace, Brentford, Brighton, Leeds, Sunderland and the three promoted sides. Newcastle may also need a replacement for Tonali if he leaves this summer.
Everton have had an approach knocked back by Middlesbrough for Hackney, while Leeds have had a bid rejected by Southampton for the promising Shea Charles as talks continue between the two clubs.
Abroad, big clubs like Real Madrid - who want to sign Enzo Fernandez from Chelsea - Atletico Madrid and Inter Milan are also likely to have an impact on the midfield market.
If Real Madrid manage to sign Fernandez from Chelsea, who value the midfielder at more than £100m, it remains to be seen what that could mean for Aurelien Tchouameni – on the list at Man Utd and others – or Eduardo Camavinga.
Atletico have agreed the terms of a deal for Joao Gomes at Wolves but have not yet followed through. They are also interested in Tijjani Reijnders at City, which may have a bearing on what City do next after signing Anderson. Mateo Kovacic also finds his future uncertain at the Etihad, while there could be interest, too, in Nico Gonzalez.
Other top midfield players potentially on the market in the Premier League are Carlos Baleba, Adam Wharton and Matt O'Riley. From the French league there are Lamine Kamara, Mamadou Sangare and Ayyoub Bouaddi, while in Italy there is Mandela Keita and Manu Kone as well as Frattesi.
Tottenham are considering making a bid for West Ham midfielder Mateus Fernandes, Sky Sports News understands, but could still face competition from Manchester United.
Both Premier League clubs are also keen on Bournemouth's Alex Scott, who is an Arsenal target.
Regarding Fernandes, Tottenham are understood to be willing to pay £85m for the Portugal international, who is keen to return to the Premier League following West Ham's relegation.
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Man Utd also remain interested in the 21-year-old and are considering whether to make a bid themselves.
United are previously understood to have valued the ex-Southampton player at around £60m, but may be prepared to offer more as they watch developments with other clubs closely.
The latest on the battle to sign Tonali
Spurs boss Roberto De Zerbi is being ambitious with his midfield plans this summer.
They have already had a bid rejected by Newcastle for Sandro Tonali, worth almost £80m.
It remains to be seen if they return with another offer for him - and whether the club are trying to sign both the Italy international and Fernandes, or just one.
Manchester City also remain interested in Tonali regardless of their ongoing pursuit of Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson, while Arsenal have looked at the 26-year-old too.
Man Utd and Arsenal make Scott enquiries
Meanwhile, Man Utd, Arsenal and Tottenham are also keen on Bournemouth midfielder Scott.
United and Arsenal are both believed to have made an initial inquiry to Bournemouth, but the Cherries have made it clear they do not want to sell the 22-year-old.
Talks have been held about a new contract for the ex-Bristol City player, as the south-coast side hope Scott, who just missed out on the England World Cup squad, will continue under new boss Marco Rose.
Nevertheless, Scott remains in the mix of targets at the biggest clubs that want to sign a new midfielder this summer, and it remains to be seen if one of them comes in with a bid.
Djed Spence appeared to not shake hands with Thomas Partey before England's match against Ghana.
Not all handshakes were shown on live televised pictures, but shots have emerged on social media of the Spurs defender appearing to snub the 33-year-old.
All other England players appeared to shake hands with Partey.
Before the match, the FA gave no specific guidance to England's players for when they came face to face with Partey during the pre-match ceremony in Boston.
However, the expectation was that all of England's players would follow FIFA protocols and shake hands with each of their opponents, as they did against Croatia in Dallas last week.
Partey denies seven charges of rape and one count of sexual assault, relating to allegations by four different women between 2020 and 2022, and is due to stand trial next year. He is currently playing for Villarreal in Spain.
Sky Sports News understands that officials from the FA decided not to advise England's players about having any contact with Partey pre-match to avoid any perception they were pre-judging the criminal case.
Thomas Tuchel was asked about Spence in his post-match press conference after England's 0-0 draw with Ghana, but was advised against commenting by a media official.
Partey was absent from Ghana's opening World Cup game in Toronto last week, after Canadian officials denied him entry to the country. He was available to play against England in Boston in the second game because the US has granted him a visa.
The top stories and transfer rumours from Tuesday's newspapers...
PREMIER LEAGUE
Tottenham are targeting Marcus Rashford - but are not prepared to meet a £40m release clause - The i Paper
Spurs are also confident of landing £85m Sandro Tonali from Newcastle but the Italian may prefer Arsenal - Daily Mail
Man Utd are prepared to make a loss on £42m Manuel Ugarte and sell him this summer - The Sun
Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers is keen on a move to Premier League champions Arsenal - talkSPORT
Former Man City defender Martin Demichelis has been appointed RB Leipzig head coach - The Athletic
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WORLD CUP
Egypt were refused permission to fly direct to Seattle after their win over New Zealand in Vancouver in a bid to reduce travel before their final group game against Iran in the city on Saturday - The Sun
WSL
Women's Super League and WSL2 clubs can allow supporters to drink alcohol in view of the pitch from the 2026/27 season following an 18-month trial - The Athletic
Sweden midfielder Lucas Bergvall has asked to leave Tottenham Hotspur this summer.
The 20-year-old, who is currently with his country at the World Cup, has made the club aware of his wish to leave Spurs in search for a fresh start and concerns over regular first-team football.
Bergvall only played 112 minutes of football under Roberto De Zerbi, starting one of the Italian's six games in charge and featuring mainly as a substitute.
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He joined Spurs from Swedish club Djurgarden in the 2024 winter window and his contract runs until June 2031.
Before joining Spurs, Barcelona were interested in Bergvall but he chose Tottenham, despite holding talks with Deco.
Spurs are pushing for reinforcements in midfield, and had an £80m bid for Sandro Tonali rebuffed by Newcastle on Saturday.
De Zerbi's plans to rebuild Spurs
Sky Sports reporter Michael Bridge:
Never again. That was the promise made by Tottenham chief executive Vinai Venkatesham and non-executive chairman Peter Charrington after narrowly avoiding relegation from the Premier League.
There was a lot of criticism aimed at the Spurs board and sporting director Johan Lange after a disappointing January transfer window which left the team looking slim. It looked even more slim when the injuries started to pile up.
The promise from the Spurs hierarchy is that they are going to be stronger and they are going to back Roberto De Zerbi, who they have wanted to bring to the club for a long time. Even Daniel Levy, who left as former executive chairman a year ago, wanted to hire De Zerbi.
Now they've finally got him, and after he pulled off the miracle of keeping Spurs up, they want to back him by signing the players he wants. Jan Paul van Hecke, who De Zerbi worked with at Brighton, has already been brought in for £52m.
Read full feature here
Tottenham's Premier League fixtures
Tottenham begin their 2026/27 Premier League season with a trip to Brentford on August 22, live on Sky Sports.
The Saturday 5.30pm kick-off at the Gtech Community Stadium will be the start of Roberto De Zerbi's first full season in charge of Spurs, who escaped relegation last season after a second consecutive 17th-placed finish.
Following the season-opening London derby, Tottenham host Newcastle in their first home game of the season on August 29.