Real Madrid intensifies interest in Mateus Fernandes, West Ham nugget

With the club's presidential elections scheduled for June 7 approaching, Florentino Perez is actively working on the future of Real Madrid. Among the hot issues is the potential return of José Mourinho to the Merengue bench, with whom an ambitious plan already seems to be taking shape.

At the top of the list of reinforcements is Mateus Fernandes, a 21-year-old Portuguese midfielder currently under contract with West Ham and advised by influential agent Jorge Mendes. Despite West Ham's decline this season, Fernandes has established himself as one of the great revelations of the 2025/2026 Premier League, scoring 36 matches, 3 goals and 4 assists. Trained at Sporting CP then moved to Southampton, he stands out for his activity in the middle, combining recovery and forward projections.

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His non-selection by Roberto Martinez for the 2026 World Cup also created a surprise in Portugal, with the coach preferring to rely on more experienced profiles to try to win the world title.

The sporting situation of West Ham as well as the privileged relations between Jorge Mendes and the Madrid management could play in favor of a transfer to Spain, even if the English management hesitates to let go of their prodigy. Liverpool and Arsenal also remain in the race, while in the Premier League, the player's value is estimated at 80 million pounds. Real Madrid, for its part, intends to accelerate the file in order to get ahead of the competition and offer Mourinho a future pillar of the midfield.