Liverpool given transfer encouragement over £80m ‘real deal’ midfielder who’s wowed Jan Molby | OneFootball

Liverpool appear to have been offered encouragement over one midfielder who’s reportedly on their radar for the summer transfer window.

In an article for The Athletic on Tuesday morning, James Pearce wrote that the Anfield hierarchy ‘will look to bolster their midfield department’ during the off-season, with that being one of the team’s most glaring weaknesses throughout the 2025/26 campaign.

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Mateus Fernandes has been mentioned among the potential incomings in that area of the pitch, with Reds chiefs having met with the West Ham midfielder’s agency a few weeks ago, and the chances of a move to Merseyside may have since increased.

Liverpool given transfer encouragement over Fernandes

TEAMtalk reported that Liverpool continue to monitor the 21-year-old’s situation closely, and the east London outfit have given the green light for him to leave this summer following the Irons’ relegation from the Premier League.

Although Manchester United and Arsenal have already been in contact with the capital club, the Reds are ‘emerging as ones to watch’ in the chase for the Portuguese maestro, whose exit from the London Stadium is ‘almost certain’.

West Ham value Fernandes at a lofty £80m, although they may ultimately be forced to accept a lower amount, with opening offers anticipated to be in the region of £60m plus add-ons. Negotiations are ‘expected to accelerate’ over the next few weeks, with the player not involved at the World Cup.

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Fernandes would give Liverpool a much-need tenacity in midfield

Despite consecutive relegations from the Premier League with Southampton and the Irons, the 21-year-old’s reputation has steadily increased during his time in England, and he’s won the firm approval of one Liverpool legend.

Speaking in April, Jan Molby praised the Portuguese gem as ‘the real deal’ and an ‘exceptional’ footballer who’s ‘got it all’ – a ringing endorsement indeed from the former Anfield icon!

A proper box-to-box midfielder, Fernandes ranked highly among positional peers in the English top flight for a wide range of attributes in the 2025/26 season, as seen in the figures below from Fotmob.

He certainly seems capable of providing the tenacious engine room presence that Liverpool were so sorely lacking in recent months, whilst also having the requisite technical ability to get the Reds on the front foot.

With West Ham set to offload several of their most valuable assets after dropping out of the top flight, there definitely appears to be scope for LFC to snap up a multi-talented and highly coveted young midfielder.