West Ham: Mateus Fernandes exit twist revealed as Man Utd, PSG lurk | OneFootball

The Portuguese midfield ace has been the subject of intense exit talk at the London Stadium

West Ham United's relegation from the Premier League has left the club in a state of transfer limbo whilst Nuno Espírito Santo looks to mount an immediate promotion bid back to the top-flight.

The Hammers were relegated on the final day of the season despite a 3-0 success over Leeds United at the London Stadium, with their tally of 39 points being the highest any side to have fallen into the Championship had accumulated in the last 15 years.

Nuno, of course, is no stranger to managing in the second tier of English football, and successfully too after his title-winning campaign at Wolverhampton Wanderers eight years ago.

After a period of managerial uncertainty, it was recently confirmed that the Portuguese would be staying on as head coach in E20 in spite of relegation, with the upcoming campaign being his first full term at the club following his appointment last September in place of Graham Potter.

Unsurprisingly, there has already been plenty of transfer discourse generated around his players, especially those who many believe are still capable of remaining in the Premier League or one of Europe's top-five divisions for the forseeable future.

This comes while West Ham have been linked with a plethora of targets themselves, but by far and away the biggest talking point thus far has been the potential whereabouts of midfield ace, Mateus Fernandes.

The 21-year-old remains one of the most highly-rated midfielders in European football despite the unfortunate feat of relegation in successive seasons, having also been a Southampton player in 2024/25.

How West Ham feel about potential Mateus Fernandes transfer exit revealed

Action Images

Indeed, some of the country, and Europe's top clubs have been linked with a move for the deep-lying midfielder, who scored three times and produced four more assists in 36 Premier League appearances for the Irons.

Fernandes was signed by Nuno's predecessor, Potter, from the South Coast outfit for a deal reportedly worth in excess of £40m, with Southampton also making a substantial profit on their £15m agreement with Liga Portugal giants, Sporting CP, two summers ago.

Unsurprisingly, the one-cap Portuguese international, who missed out on a spot in Roberto Martinez's 26-man squad for the FIFA World Cup, won the club's Goal of the Season award for his stunning long-range effort against Sunderland in January, and such qualities and potential have already generated strong interest in his services.

It has been widely reported that a mass exodus of players is expected at the London Stadium as West Ham look to generate north of £100m to help balance out their financial books, with Fernandes seemingly at the top of the list amid links to Manchester United, Arsenal and back-to-back UEFA Champions League winners, Paris Saint-Germain.

However, whilst reaffirming that his current employers have set an approximate £80m valuation, Sky Sports claim that West Ham are in no rush to make a sale, and that there is still a chance he could remain a part of Nuno's squad for the 46-game Championship season, in which they are already being pinpointed as title favourites.

The Red Devils are reportedly still mulling over a deal for Fernandes, and that he could reach the same ceiling as Arsenal and England ace, Declan Rice, in the years to come.

That said, it has also been stated that no formal offers have come the way of West Ham as things stand.

Retaining Mateus Fernandes would back up West Ham, Championship promotion claims

Action Images

Of course, it does seem heavily unlikely, given the links and sheer strength of initial interest, that Fernandes will be plying his trade in the Championship with West Ham.

However, if such events were to occur, it would only back up claims from the masses that the Hammers have the potential to seal the title under Nuno.

Meanwhile, with regards to potential midfield incomings, the club have already been linked with moves for Arne Engels of Celtic, who was the subject of three rejected bids, including one at £25m, from Nottingham Forest in January, as well as Northern Ireland international, Ethan Galbraith of Swansea City, as exclusively revealed by Football League World.