This article contains affiliate links. We may earn a small commission on items purchased through this article, but that does not affect our editorial judgement.

Manchester United could swoop in to sign Mateus Fernandes if West Ham are relegated, according to journalist Ben Jacobs.

The talkSPORT reporter claims the Hammers would have a “tough” time keeping hold of the 21-year-old this summer, with Man United among the clubs holding “conversations” with the player’s camp:

“I think there’s a possibility [Fernandes] leaves West Ham, obviously, because if they go down, then definitely [he is] tough to keep and there is some appreciation, I’m told, by [Director of Football] Jason Wilcox…”

“They’ve had a few cursory conversations, but it’s just really important to stress at this stage in particular, a few months out from the summer, if Jason Wilcox and [Head of Recruitment ] Christopher Vivell were not speaking to a hundred players’ camps, they wouldn’t be doing their job.”

“Part of it is just about understanding direction of travel, merry-go-round movement, market opportunities if a team goes down, so there have been some internal conversations about players like [Wolves’] Joao Gomes, Mateus Fernandes, but at this stage, I’m not aware that Manchester United have done much more than that.”

Buy a West Ham shirt from the Castore store here

Fernandes has been one of the rare hits in the transfer market

Not many agreed with the decision to spend £42m on the midfielder last summer, but it seems (on this occasion), the Irons made the right call.

Fernandes has been one of Nuno Espirito Santo’s most consistent performers in recent months, and he looks set to earn his first senior cap for Portugal when they take on the United States in a friendly on Tuesday night.

West Ham will have to bring in a new midfielder this summer

Even if Nuno’s men save themselves from the drop and Fernandes stays, reinforcing the centre of midfield should be a priority in the next transfer window.

Lucas Paqueta and Guido Rodriguez have both left, while James Ward-Prowse has likely played his last game for the club as well. With there also being doubts over the future of Tomas Soucek, it’s a position that needs fresh blood.

Want more news on West Ham? Add Hammers Headlines as a preferred source on Google