Tottenham Hotspur have completed the signing of midfielder Mateus Fernandes from fierce rivals West Ham United.
The Lilywhites confirmed on Thursday that they had finalised a deal to sign the Portugal midfielder, with BBC Sport claiming that Spurs have paid a staggering £85 million for the player.
Fernandes only joined the Hammers from Southampton last summer, following the Saints’ relegation to The Championship.
He made 38 appearances for the club during his only campaign at The London Stadium, but was unable to prevent their slide and was ultimately relegated from the top flight for a second successive season as a player.
Since the end of last season and West Ham’s relegation, Fernandes has been heavily linked with a move away from east London.
Fernandes has joined Tottenham for a fee of £85 million (Photo: MI News & Sport/Alamy)
The 21-year-old was heavily linked with a variety of clubs including Manchester United, but Spurs have won the race to land the Portuguese.
Fernandes’ arrival in north London comes in the wake of Yves Bissouma’s departure from The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, while other midfielders in Roberto De Zerbi’s squad also face uncertain futures at the club.
Despite hia meteoric rise, Fernandes was only handed his full international debut for his country in March this year – against USA – and he has not been capped since, missing out on a place in Roberto Martinez’s squad for the World Cup in North America this summer.
Prior to joining Southampton in 2024, Fernandes had progressed through the youth ranks of Sporting CP, before making a total of ten senor appearances for the club in all competitions.
Despite his age, he has already played more than 70 times in the Premier League across his spells with Southampton and West Ham.