West Ham suffer Mateus Fernandes transfer setback after Southampton reject £30m bid | OneFootball

Hammers remain on the market for further reinforcements as part of a major squad overhaul

West Ham have seen a bid rejected for Southampton midfielder Mateus Fernandes.

Sky Sports report the bid is around £30million, with Southampton said to value Fernandes at £50m. It's unclear whether West Ham will submit another bid.

Fernandes, who arrived from Sporting CP for £15m last summer, impressed despite a dismal campaign for Southampton, providing three goals and six assists in all competitions.

The club are confident of getting a deal over the line for Fernandes, who has been a key target this summer, as they look to overhaul their midfield.

West Ham want to bring in another midfielder, but would likely need to sell if they were to pursue other targets.

The Hammers are also looking internally for solutions in the centre of the park.

As the Standard Sport reported last month, they will keep academy midfielders Freddie Potts and George Earthy with the first team this season after impressive loan spells in the Championship.

Potts started alongside James Ward-Prowse as West Ham finished their pre-season with a 1-1 draw with Ligue 1 side Lille.

Meanwhile, Earthy is stepping up his recovery from an ankle ligament injury that ruled him out of West Ham's pre-season trips to Germany and America.

Fernandes, who came off the bench for Southampton against Wrexham at the weekend, would become West Ham's sixth signing of the summer.

The 21-year-old would join Mads Hermansen, El Hadji Malick Diouf, Kyle Walker-Peters, Jean-Clair Todibo and Callum Wilson as Potter looks to overhaul his squad this summer.