United have lost another top target as Mateus Fernandes will be joining Spurs. David Ornstein reports that the fee will be that same asking price of West Ham's: £85m.
Now our fans are using that price as a reason to justify United not signing Fernandes.
But there is where they are missing the point, forgive me for being so blunt.
I too agree that the fee is far too much for a player who's only had one truly good season, is only 21-years-old and has been relegated twice. Despite all of that, when a club like Real Madrid are interested in a player, there must be something about them, which I do believe is the case with Fernandes.
I also feel that it would've been too much pressure on his shoulders as well.
Had United signed him for this fee (reports said that West Ham were standing firm on it) then chances were that we probably wouldn't have gone for another midfielder who would cost in the same region.
This would've meant to me, that United saw Fernandes as that marquee signing who would replace Casemiro.
If this was true, then that is a lot to take for a youngster. Having to takeover from one of the best CDMs of the past generation and a key player for United besides, would've been unfair on him.
As Kobbie Mainoo was going to be the midfielder to play next to him, then I couldn't see how our midfield would work with these two players, who also happen to be young.
So there were many reasons why I didn't want him.
But what I and you want is probably completely different to what United want.
Fernandes was the guy. According to a lot of reports, he was seen as a top target of the club's.
To now lose him is sort of damning.
More than this, you're losing him to Spurs.
And this isn't even a Spurs side that's that good. They have been fighting relegation for the past two seasons, had three managers in one campaign, and no European football next season.
It's signals that they are showing more ambition than United and giving their manager every chance of success by signing the players he wants.
Spurs also joined the Fernandes race quite recently. It's only in the last month or so where there was talk that they would like to sign him as well.
So a relegation-threatened side joined the race for a top target of United's who happened to be overpriced... and beat them.
I feel like we didn't even try to sign him or persuade him in any way to get him to choose us over Spurs.
That's what some fans are missing.
Something else is that these parameters United have set of players needing to be of a certain age (oldest around 26), right value according to the club, ideally to have played in the Premier League, and the one that causes the biggest problems for me, wanting to play for United.
ALL players are overpriced. It's very rare that you see players go for a fair fee.
What does deal and Elliot Anderson's £116m to Man City has done is blow value out the water.
These two players were well overpriced yet clubs still paid the fee. Others will look at that, ask for a ridiculous price for their players, and either clubs will pay for them or they don't because if a player like Fernandes can go for an incredible amount of money, then why not others?
This is just the market.
This correct valuation parameter is also very subjective.
Some players asking fees might be a little excessive but could still be closer to what most would value them at to the point where you wouldn't mind overpaying.
Example: Alex Scott is a target. His market value is between £60m - £80m which is probably a fair region. Now that Fernandes has gone to Spurs for £85m though, Bournemouth may pump Scott's price to something similar. If the Cherries ask for £85m for Scott as well, even though that price is closer to his market value but still above it, would United go for him or not?
But that last one really does it for me.
It's also a little ambiguous in a way. If a player wants to join United but is also open to other clubs, does that mean we pursue them, or walk away? Or is it simply that they need to want United and only United for us to go for them?
What these parameters have done is limit the amount of players United can sign.
To find someone who is early-to-mid-twenties, has a decent fee, ideally played in the PL, AND wants to come to United, makes that pool of players incredibly small.
Not many tick those boxes.
What it could leave you with is third, fourth or even fifth-choice targets.
Look at Ederson. Is 26 so fits the age parameter, decent fee of £35m, wanted United. He's not played in the PL but is relatively experienced having featured in the Champions League and was even called up by Carlo Ancelotti for Brazil for the World Cup showing that he has something about him.
It seems that those are the type of deals we want to do.
Omar Berrada also said in a recent interview that the club would like to replicate last season's window. Everyone can agree that that turned out to be very successful.
That then set a high bar for this window, which is a good thing. But it also meant doing really good business.
So far though, we haven't officially done anything.
Ederson has still not been announced and we've had nothing else.
Not even outgoings.
The club have stated many times that they want to win the league in the next couple of seasons as well. 'Project 150' is just around the corner and with an inexperienced manager at the helm, they do need to give him every opportunity of being successful.
They've nothing to suggest this.
Wonder how Michael Carrick is feeling after all this btw.
When the Glazers were reportedly open to selling the club outright or looking for new investment back in late 2022, ESPN reported that the asking price for the club was £5bn - £6bn.
However, Sky Sports have said that the club at that time, was valued around £5bn.
Yet they want players who are valued correctly.
See the contradiction.
In a way, I see Carrick himself fall under these parameters too: cheap or cheaper than most managers, young, has some experience (assistant and interim of United, also managed Middlesbrough in the Championship) and wanted to stay on as permanent boss after his interim spell.
Ticks all the boxes.
So in summary, not much has changed.
This is classic Man Utd. Make promises they can't keep. Contradict themselves. Set silly parameters to the point where they probably end up signing the players they truly wanted.
I'm starting to believe that these parameters were used as a diversion to trick people into thinking they wanted other players only for the fans to then agree when these players don't tick those boxes and they can go and sign the real targets.
The new financial year has now kicked in as it is the 1st of July. This was when some people we'll start to see United move.
The problem is, by the time they get going, there might not be many players left.
Mateus Fernandes has chosen Spurs over Man Utd | Creator: Julian Finney | Credit: Getty Images Copyright: 2026 Getty Images via Goal