Liverpool waiting for one thing to happen before making a move for £42m star | OneFootball

West Ham United would need to be relegated for Mateus Fernandes to join Liverpool

Mateus Fernandes is one of the many midfielders to have been linked with a Liverpool transfer over the last few months.

The Portugal international has been one of West Ham United's best players this season with his ability to control their midfield being rather impressive.

At the moment, the Hammers are going to be a Premier League team next season but, since they're only two points clear of the drop, their future is still unknown.

This lack of knowing has caused many rumours to emerge with a new update from TEAMtalk outlining that the only way Fernandes' exit from West Ham would be sanctioned after his £42 million move in the summer would be if the London-based are relegated.

"TEAMtalk can reveal that Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain have all been impressed by his [Fernandes'] performances and are monitoring his situation closely," they wrote.

"Indeed, the Merseyside giants have been strongly advised to sign the recently-capped Portugal international, with a former star branding him 'the real deal' and claiming he is already on a par with two of PSG’s most important players.

"Despite that growing interest, sources close to the club have made it clear: West Ham do not want to sell.

"TEAMtalk understands that Fernandes, Summerville and Bowen are all viewed as integral to the club’s long-term plans, with the hierarchy determined to build around them rather than break up a trio that has proven so vital.

"The situation, however, hinges on one crucial factor – Premier League survival.

"If West Ham get the job done in the coming weeks, the expectation is that the club will stand firm and back manager Nuno Espirito Santo’s desire to keep them, and move forward with their key core intact.

"But should they join Burnley and Wolves in the Championship, finances will likely dictate the painful triple sale, leaving West Ham vulnerable to three of their most brutal transfer losses since Declan Rice’s departure to Arsenal in 2023."

Liverpool must quickly figure out what their priorities are this summer

One thing that has been made clear this season is that Liverpool have another summer of change coming their way.

The Anfield outfit have massively underperformed this season and, depending on who gets relegated from the Premier League, they'll have some tough decisions to make about their transfers.

Fernandes is one of many midfield targets that they've been linked with but, from Tottenham, others such as Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray have also been rumoured to be of interest to Slot and Hughes.

Of course, a lot of their deals will also depend on how much teams want to charge for their players but, if the Hammers or Spurs end up going down, there's going to be a mass exodus from both clubs.

There are several areas among Liverpool's ranks that could do with a new player or two but, at the moment, it's unclear what their plans will look like, especially since so much is still up in the air.

Here's hoping that, whoever the Reds do choose to sign manages to help turn things around in L4 next season.