West Ham have today clarified their stance on the club’s ongoing pursuit of Southampton midfielder Mateus Fernandes.
The Hammers had a £30 million offer for the Portuguese international rejected on Monday and were expected to return with an improved bid. However, anyone anticipating a different outcome will be disappointed following the latest update from a top London Stadium source speaking exclusively to Claret & Hugh.
When asked if West Ham would go back in with a second offer after the opening £30 million bid for Fernandes, the reply was blunt:
“We won’t pay more. The hard bit is finding players who are available who we think can improve our team.”
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Fernandes shows off his Southampton shirt
A West Ham insider told C&H that we won’t pay more than £30m for Fernandes
Southampton have placed a £50 million valuation on the 21-year-old—an amount West Ham feel is excessive given he has only one Premier League season under his belt, which ended in relegation.
Meeting the Saints’ demands would mean breaking the club’s transfer record, set when Lucas Paquetá joined from Lyon for £35 million plus add-ons taking the total towards £50 million.
Tellingly, the Hammers insider stopped short of confirming the club were out of the running entirely. But unless Southampton significantly lower their demands, it seems unlikely West Ham will be signing Fernandes this summer.