Mourinho Pursues West Ham’s Mateus Fernandes for Real Madrid
José Mourinho has not even taken charge of a Real Madrid training session yet, but the outline of his first big idea is already taking shape. At the heart of it: Mateus Fernandes, West Ham United’s standout midfielder and one of the few bright sparks in a grim season in East London.
Fernandes, just 21, comes off a campaign that underlined his maturity and range. Across 36 Premier League appearances, he produced three goals and four assists, numbers that only tell part of the story of a player who drove West Ham’s midfield in a side that lost its way. He kept showing for the ball, kept trying to play, even as the club slid towards trouble.
The effort was not enough. West Ham dropped through the trapdoor and now face life back in the Championship in 2026/27. Relegation usually triggers an exodus. In Fernandes’ case, it has triggered a queue.
According to Diario AS, Mourinho has already pushed his new employers to the front of that line. The incoming Real Madrid head coach has begun mapping out his midfield overhaul and, within that process, has placed Fernandes firmly on his list of preferred signings. As the report puts it, “Mourinho has drawn up a list of suggestions, and on it is the name of Mateus Fernandes. Mourinho wants him, and Real Madrid are already making moves to please the manager.”
That is the crux: this is not a speculative link or a vague long-term idea. It is a concrete target identified by a manager who knows exactly the profile he wants between the lines. Energy, legs, a willingness to work, but also end product. Fernandes’ season in England, where he carried responsibility in a struggling side, ticks plenty of those boxes.
Madrid, though, are not alone in the chase. Arsenal and Liverpool have also entered the picture, both monitoring the West Ham midfielder as they look to refresh their own engine rooms. For a player whose club has just been relegated, the market could hardly be more flattering.
West Ham, facing Championship budgets and the financial reality of the drop, are expected to listen to offers before the summer window closes. Fernandes, at 21 and already battle-tested in the Premier League, looks unlikely to spend a year outside the top flight.
Mourinho, starting a new era at the Bernabéu, has made his move. The question now is whether Real Madrid can turn his first clear request into a statement signing, or whether the Premier League will find a way to keep one of its most promising young midfielders on English soil.
