West Ham hit big Mateus Fernandes stumbling block as Southampton change demands | OneFootball

Southampton have rejected a first bid from West Ham United for Mateus Fernandes for £30 million, and they want a lot more for the central midfielder.

Southampton have rejected a £30 million opening bid for Mateus Fernandes from West Ham, and are looking for a fee closer to £50 million.

Southampton started their Championship season with a narrow and dramatic 2-1 win against Wrexham at St Mary's on Saturday, with two very late goals securing them all three points after they'd fallen behind in the first half.

The Saints are under new management in the form of the former Lens head coach Will Still, and are among the favourites to get promoted back to the Premier League come the end of this season. But the tightness of the win against the newly-promoted Welsh club was confirmation that the top of the table could be congested by the end of the season.

And they now may face a fight to keep hold of a player who's been expected to depart for the Premier League all summer, but hadn't by the time the season kicked off.

West Ham have first bid for Mateus Fernandes rejected by Southampton

Sky Sports' Mark McAdam has reported on X that West Ham United have made a first bid for the mercurial midfielder Mateus Fernandes for £30 million, which has been rejected by Southampton. McAdam confirms that the Saints do not want to sell Fernandes, and that they want close to £50 million to lure the player away from them.

It remains to be seen whether the two clubs will be able to close the gap between their valuations of the player.

Fernandes appeared as a second-half substitute during their match with Wrexham, and with more than two weeks of the summer transfer window yet to run, there remains time for a deal to be sorted out.

Fernandes has attracted a lot of Premier League interest this summer

Despite Southampton's dismal 2024-25 season in the Premier League, Fernandes impressed in his first season at St Mary's after arriving from the Portuguese club Sporting in the summer 2024 transfer window for a price reported to be in the region of £15 million.

The midfielder managed three goals and six assists in 43 appearances across all competitions last season, and earlier in the summer it was reported that Southampton had put a price tag of £30 million on him, amid interest from Leeds United, Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace.

Now a bid in that region has been made. However, Southampton's valuation of him has increased. The 21-year-old was heavily praised by former Saints manager Russell Martin over his potential as a player last season, and the interest of Premier League clubs in a player that Southampton don't want to sell has revised their price upwards.