West Ham transfer news: ‘£42m deal agreed’ for new midfielder with ‘medical underway’

West Ham United have reportedly reached an agreement with Championship club Southampton to sign midfielder Mateus Fernandes.

The Hammers have already signed four new players in the summer transfer window, bringing in El Hadji Malick Diouf and Mads Hermansen for a combined fee close to £40m, as well as Kyle Walker-Peters and Callum Wilson on free transfers.

However, the pressure continues to mount on head coach Graham Potter as his team have endured a disappointing start to the new campaign, losing their opening two Premier League games by an aggregate score of 8-1.

A 3-0 opening defeat at newly-promoted Sunderland was followed by a heavy 5-1 loss at home to Chelsea last Friday, and Potter allegedly may have just two more matches to save his job.

Potter is keen to bolster his squad further before next Monday’s transfer deadline and midfield additions are said to be a priority following the loan exit of Edson Alvarez to Fenerbahce.

West Ham closing in on big-money Fernandes signing

West Ham, who have been credited with an interest in a host of players from across Europe, are allegedly closing in on the signing of 21-year-old Soungoutou Magassa after agreeing a £17.3m deal with Monaco earlier this week.

According to Sky Sports News, the Hammers have now agreed to pay £42m to sign long-term target Fernandes from Southampton, having previously seen a bid of around £30m rejected.

The report adds that West Ham have agreed to pay a guaranteed fee of £38m plus £4m in add-ons, and a medical is ‘already underway’ for the 21-year-old.

West Ham’s deal for Fernandes will come close to their record transfer that currently stands at £45m which they forked out for striker Sebastien Haller in 2019.

Fernandes set for swift return to Premier League with West Ham

Born in Olhao, Portugal, Fernandes began his professional career with Sporting Lisbon and made his first-team debut in October 2022 before joining Estoril on loan for the 2023-24 campaign.

Fernandes returned to Sporting and made a total of 10 senior appearances for the club before he was sold to Southampton last summer for a reported £12m, penning a five-year contract.

The Portugal Under-21 international made 36 Premier League appearances, chipping in with two goals and four assists, for a Saints side who finished rock bottom of the table with just 12 points and suffered relegation to the Championship just a year after winning the playoff final.

Fernandes has since played in each of Southampton’s first three matches back in the second tier this season, while he also scored the only goal in a narrow 1-0 away win over Northampton Town in the EFL Cup first round.

However, the attack-minded midfielder was left out of Will Still’s matchday squad for Tuesday’s 3-0 win at Norwich City in the EFL Cup second round, as he is seemingly set for a swift return to the Premier League with West Ham.