Southampton FC, Mateus Fernandes transfer hurdle revealed as Leeds, Crystal Palace & Nottingham Forest eye deal | OneFootball

A trio of top flight clubs have been linked with the Portuguese midfielder already.

Southampton are said to be asking for "ridiculous money" for their players this summer amid Leeds United, Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest's pursuit of midfield target Mateus Fernandes.

News emerged last Friday that Daniel Farke's side were interested in the Portuguese midfielder. He is one of a number of Saints players that could leave St Mary's this summer following their relegation.

The last time Southampton came down to the Championship, they generated £145 million in revenue from selling their top assets, and chairman Dragan Solak, who bought the club before their drop, is targeting £100 million from the departures of Tyler Dibling, Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Aaron Ramsdale. That figure doesn't even include any money earned from Fernandes.

Also in the race for the 20-year-old are FA Cup winners Palace and seventh-placed Forest, both of whom will be playing European football next season.

Southampton want "ridiculous money" for Mateus Fernandes

£30 million is what Southampton want for the former Sporting Lisbon player, who they bought for £15 million last summer. Leeds would be willing to pay close to that amount, as per Alan Nixon. He had a very strong first season in England, despite his team's poor performances, amassing only 12 points in 38 games. He won the club's Fans' Player of the Season award as a result.

Following the £30 million claim by The Sun journalist, via his Patreon, Hampshire outlet the Daily Echo claimed that Fernandes true valuation has been set at a way higher mark than that.

Reports of fellow youngster Dibling being valued at £100 million have been refuted by the Echo, who claim that Saints want around half of that figure for the teenager, but John Percy has said that clubs may have trouble buying players from St Mary's this summer due to the lofty price tags that have been pinned on them.

Speaking on the Forest Focus podcast about the Midlands clubs' interest in the midfielder, The Telegraph journalist said: "Fernandes is another one. I think they looked at Fernandes in January, actually, as a potential. He'll have a lot of interest. Apparently, Southampton are asking ridiculous money for players.

"So they're not very easy to deal with at the moment, which is obviously what does happen at clubs when they've just been relegated. There's a very sort of stubborn stance that they adopt."

Southampton have every right to ask for astronomical fees

All but one of Southampton's top assets - Kyle Walker-Peters - are tied down to long-term deals. Dibling, summer 2027; Fernandes, summer 2029; Harwood-Bellis, summer 2028; Ramsdale, summer 2028.

They are under absolutely no pressure to sell these players. They will all be more than good enough to play a role in a potential promotion push next season, and they have no real leverage to try and force their way out of St Mary's. Why should the club cave to the demands of those higher up the pyramid than them when there is little incentive to do so?