**West Ham** target Mateus Fernandes scored the winning goal for Southampton last night as they beat Northampton Town in the EFL Cup.
The Portuguese U21 international showed his quality with a slick piece of footwork before firing high into the net—a strike that will only strengthen the Saints’ resolve to demand top dollar for their player.
Yesterday, West Ham saw a £30 million bid rejected for Fernandes, but the club are expected to return with a second offer despite reports suggesting otherwise.
However, the Hammers’ cause won’t have been helped by Fernandes starting the cup tie and scoring such a decisive goal, even if it came against lower-league opposition.
West Ham also retain interest in Leicester City’s Bilal El Khannouss as a back-up option, while Southampton are understood to be active in the [transfer](https://www.claretandhugh.info/west-ham-transfer-news/) market as they look to line up a replacement for Fernandes.
That said, even if the Irons can persuade the South Coast club to sell their prized asset, they’ll still need to navigate negotiations with the player’s agent, Jorge Mendes—a task that could prove tricky.
Plenty of work remains if this deal is to happen.