Tottenham Hotspur secured the signature of 21-year-old Portugal midfielder Mateus Fernandes from West Ham for a club-record fee of £85 million on July 2, 2026 [1, 2, 3]. The transfer surpasses Tottenham’s previous record of £65 million paid for Dominic Solanke in 2024 [3]. Fernandes officially joined after Tottenham agreed the deal with West Ham on June 30 [4, 5, 3].
Fernandes made 38 Premier League appearances for West Ham last season but could not prevent their relegation, as the club finished 18th and is now preparing a major squad rebuild [1, 5, 2]. In contrast, Tottenham ended last season 17th in the Premier League, narrowly avoiding relegation, and have signed five players this summer, including goalkeeper Martin Dubravka on July 1 [4, 1, 2, 3].
The midfielder originally came through Sporting CP’s academy before moving to Southampton in 2024 for about £15 million [1, 2]. He then joined West Ham in 2025 for around £38-40 million [1, 5, 2, 3]. About 15% of Fernandes’ transfer fee, estimated at roughly £570,000, will go to Southampton under a sell-on clause [3]. Fernandes made his Portugal international debut in April in a friendly against Mexico [1, 2].
Manchester United had also shown interest in Fernandes, reportedly bidding about £75 million, but did not match Tottenham’s £85 million offer [4, 1, 5, 3]. According to some reports, United felt Fernandes was not fully committed to joining and withdrew from the deal [4].
Fernandes expressed enthusiasm for his move, saying, "I'm very excited for this next step. Spurs is a massive club and the head coach (Roberto De Zerbi) was a key part of why I have decided to join. When we spoke, it was very special. We look at football in the same way - going onto the pitch as a strong team, with fight and energy, to try and win every game. I can't wait to get started, to meet the fans, to meet everyone and give everything for the club" [1, 3].
In addition to Fernandes, Tottenham have reportedly agreed a potential £100 million deal to sign Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali, although that transfer is not yet finalized [4, 3].
