Tottenham Hotspur have reached an agreement to sign Portugal midfielder Mateus Fernandes from West Ham United in a guaranteed £85 million deal, with no add-ons attached.

Spurs emerged victorious in a transfer battle that included Manchester United, who ultimately walked away rather than match Tottenham's fee. The north London club had initially pursued Newcastle United's Sandro Tonali — a move that would have cost £80 million — but abandoned that effort after Newcastle rejected their approach.

A busy summer window for Spurs

Fernandes, 21, becomes the fifth signing of Tottenham's active summer transfer campaign. The club had already brought in goalkeeper Martin Dubravka on a free transfer, with the 37-year-old Slovakia international arriving once his contract with Burnley expires on 1 July.

Before Dubravka, Tottenham secured defenders Marcos Senesi and Andy Robertson — both on free transfers from Bournemouth and Liverpool respectively — as well as Netherlands centre-back Jan Paul van Hecke, who cost £52 million from Brighton.

With their defensive reinforcements in place, Tottenham turned their attention to central midfield. Tonali was the primary target, but the Italian's contract situation — having recently signed an extension with Newcastle as a show of loyalty following his 10-month ban for breaching the Football Association's betting rules — made a deal unworkable.

Fernandes had attracted significant interest across Europe despite suffering back-to-back relegations from the Premier League with West Ham. Paris St-Germain were among the clubs to register an interest, alongside Manchester United.

Man Utd's stance on the deal

Manchester United declined to match Tottenham's valuation, maintaining their stated policy of only paying what they consider a fair market price for targets. The club felt that approach had been vindicated last season, when they believe patience helped them secure the right players at the right cost.

United were also reported to have doubts about whether Fernandes genuinely wanted to join the club, a factor that contributed to their decision to withdraw from the running.