The vultures are circling at the London Stadium, and the scent of blood is unmistakably drifting toward Old Trafford. GoalZaza can confirm that Ben Ja...
The vultures are circling at the London Stadium, and the scent of blood is unmistakably drifting toward Old Trafford. GoalZaza can confirm that Ben Jacobs has revealed Manchester United are already engaged in active dialogue with the entourage of West Ham's Mateus Fernandes, with a summer move now looking less a matter of if and more a matter of when.The catalyst, of course, is the Hammers' catastrophic slide into the Championship. For a player of Fernandes' burgeoning quality, the second tier was never going to be a long term home. At just 21 years old, the Portuguese starlet has shown enough composure in transitional play and enough vision from deeper midfield positions to attract serious interest from clubs with Champions League aspirations. United, it appears, have moved first.Make no mistake about it, the £85m valuation attached to Fernandes is a hefty sum for a lad who has just watched his team get relegated. But in the modern market, you pay for potential as much as for production. And Fernandes has that rare ability to receive the ball on the half turn, break the press with a single pass, and knit together phases of play that leave low blocks gasping for air. That is the kind of tactical flexibility Erik ten Hag has been crying out for in the engine room.Can United really afford to gamble such a fee on a player whose first full season in English football ended in disappointment The counter argument is that relegation has actually exposed how good Fernandes really is. He was the light in a dark tunnel, the one who kept trying to make things happen when those around him bottled it under pressure. If United are serious about rebuilding the spine of this team, they could do a lot worse than a 21 year old who has already been through the grinder and come out the other side with his reputation enhanced.Expect significant movement before the window officially opens. West Ham's hand has been forced. They need the cash for a Championship rebuild, and Fernandes knows he belongs on a bigger stage. At Old Trafford, the stage doesn't get much bigger, and the need for a midfielder who can actually dictate the tempo has never been more acute. Squeaky bum time is coming for the negotiators.
