Manchester United are on course to win the race for West Ham United midfielder Mateus Fernandes, edging out Premier League champions Arsenal in the process, according to reports.

Manager Michael Carrick, elevated to the permanent head coach role after guiding United to a third-place finish and a return to the UEFA Champions League, is wasting no time in shaping his squad for next season. United's recruitment team are understood to be prioritising early activity this summer — though the looming FIFA World Cup 2026 is complicating timelines across the market.

A stand-off with West Ham

BBC Sport's Manchester United correspondent Simon Stone reported that he would be "surprised if the deal for Mateus Fernandes didn't get done," adding that a resolution could come "reasonably quickly."

Stone also noted that a stand-off currently exists between the two clubs. West Ham insist they are under no obligation to sell and are demanding a fee of £80 million for the 21-year-old. However, relegation to the Championship inevitably weakens their negotiating position.

Fernandes could actually arrive at Old Trafford ahead of United's other reported new signing, Ederson, whose transfer is not expected to be finalised until the start of July.

A miserable season ends without a World Cup call-up

The Portuguese midfielder earned his first senior cap for Portugal in April, but was not selected in Roberto Martinez's final 26-man squad for FIFA World Cup 2026 — a blow that capped a difficult campaign.

Fernandes was one of the few bright spots in an otherwise wretched West Ham season that ended in relegation. He joined the Hammers last summer and has four years remaining on his contract, though any relegation-related clauses could influence the eventual outcome.

His path to England has been an eventful one. After coming through the ranks at Sporting CP, he spent the 2023-24 season on loan at Estoril before joining Southampton in the summer of 2024. The Saints were relegated at the end of his debut season in England — and West Ham followed suit a year later. Carrick and his staff appear undeterred by that record as they push to land one of the division's standout young talents.