Liverpool ‘make calls’ over dream £85m Man Utd target as Fabrizio Romano offers ‘guarantee’

Fabrizio Romano has confirmed Liverpool have made some tentative enquiries to “find out the conditions” over a transfer for Mateus Fernandes, and while the Reds are yet to make a concrete move, an update on who the West Ham star could join, out of Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, has now come to light.

The Portuguese star is fast emerging as one of this summer’s most in-demand players. While he could not prevent the Hammers’ slide out of the Premier League after a 14-year stay among the elite, his performances in the middle of the park have significantly enhanced his reputation and Fernandes is now regarded as one of the best young midfield stars in world football.

And while sources can confirm West Ham have green-lit his sale this summer, they will only do so if their hefty £85m valuation is met.

That price has, so far, dissuaded suitors-in-chief, Manchester United, from making a concrete approach, with the delay allowing Tottenham Hotspur to enter the running, with Roberto De Zerbi’s side trying to get a buy-in from the player via talks with intermediaries.

As TEAMtalk exclusively revealed on June 2, Liverpool also have a tentative interest in signing the West Ham star, and while not as advanced as either of the two, are keeping a close eye on developments.

That claim has now been backed up by Romano, who confirms that Liverpool have put in some calls to check on the former Sporting CP star’s situation.

“I will tell you something that was not so public in the recent days and weeks,” Romano began on Liverpool podcast Born N Red.

“Liverpool made a call two weeks ago to understand the situation of Fernandes at West Ham, to understand the price and conditions, but they didn’t return with any bid or any official conversation.

“They made a call two weeks ago, I can guarantee that. Tottenham and Man United are busy with a deal, so there are so many clubs involved. The player is going to be expensive, more than £85m. It means Liverpool are working on midfielders.”

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Mateus Fernandes: Battle between Man Utd and Tottenham

While Liverpool could well sign a new midfielder this summer – and TEAMtalk understands that Alex Scott of Bournemouth, Lille’s Ayyoub Bouaddi and Lamine Camara of Monaco are in their sights – it seems unlikely, at this stage, that they will make an official move for Fernandes.

And while PSG and Real Madrid are also monitoring developments around the player, he is currently expected to move within the Premier League amid a strong claim that Manchester United have a buy-in from the player to move to Old Trafford.

However, Spurs are doing their all to try and steer the player across London to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with De Zerbi keen to add the West Ham man in a double deal alongside Newcastle’s Sandro Tonali.

Addressing the battle between the clubs, Romano said earlier this week: “According to my information, Tottenham are talking to the player’s agent, Jorge Mendes, and they are pushing to reach an agreement with the player – but still nothing guaranteed, still nothing closed.

“What’s going to happen is that there will be more conversations with Tottenham, and more conversations with Manchester United, because don’t forget that Manchester United are working very, very hard on this deal. Manchester United are working hard on the club side with West Ham — they’ve already spoken about Matheus Fernandes — and they are also working on the player side with his agent. So Man United are still very much in the picture…

“We have to keep a close eye on Matheus Fernandes, because in this kind of deal, the feeling is that whoever brings the best proposal to West Ham — who are starting at £85 million and looking to get more, as they believe more clubs are joining the race day by day – will also be best placed to close the deal with the player.

“That’s the feeling around this story, and that is probably the key to understanding the future of Matheus Fernandes.

“This is a very, very interesting deal to follow. There is movement, there are clubs attracted — Tottenham are there, Manchester United are there — and again, let’s see what happens at Real Madrid in midfield as they wait for exits.”

While West Ham are very much in favour of a deal to sell the 21-year-old, TEAMtalk can reveal that they have come to more resolute verdicts over the futures of both Crysencio Summerville and Jarrod Bowen, thanks to a strong statement of intent from Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky.

Indeed, with the Hammers preparing for the exit of Fernandes, sources have told TEAMtalk that the east London side have identified a Scottish midfield talent as a would-be replacement in their engine room.

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