Real Madrid have brought in Bernardo Silva for new manager Jose Mourinho, who specifically wanted the Manchester City star for his attitude and ability to help lift teams up with his work rate and other traits, even though Real had rejected him for years.
That move proved, once again, that Florentino Perez is willing to do whatever it takes to help support Mourinho and back the manager in a way he failed to back even Zinedine Zidane and Carlo Ancelotti before him.
Real Madrid still need to sign another standout midfielder, and while there are a few options out there for the club, it appears Mourinho's favorite option is compatriot Mateus Fernandes, who enjoyed a monstrous breakout season for West Ham United as the bright spot in an otherwise woeful team.
Manchester United may be the favorites
However, according to reporting from ace transfer insider Fabrizio Romano, Real Madrid may not be the favorites at this stage for the 21 year old Portuguese international. Romano states that while Los Blancos are in the race, Premier League clubs are being far more aggressive in their pursuit of his signature. Fab says that, in particular, Manchester United are pushing strongly and pushing now.
Roberto De Zerbi also seems at least as interested in bringing Mateus Fernandes to his Tottenham Hotspur, so the Lilywhites are surely among those Premier League clubs that Romano is saying are going very hard after Fernandes this summer.
Real Madrid seem to be increasingly interested in Ayyoub Bouaddi, who is balling out alongside Brahim Diaz at Morocco and was already squarely on Juni Calafat's radar as the next massive talent from Ligue 1 and Lille to monitor (having missed out on Leny Yoro to Manchester United at the center back position a couple of years ago).
Fernandes may be coming from a relegated team, but with seven goal contributions and four combined tackles and interceptions per game, he was a dominant player, and nobody within Premier League circles thinks any less of him for the plight of the Hammers.
Jose Mourinho tends to get who he wants, but, in this case, he may not want Fernandes as much as Manchester United want him. But what makes the situation even more complicated is that the players Real Madrid could sacrifice to sign new midfielders, Eduardo Camavinga and Aurelien Tchouameni, seem to also be high on the Man United transfer wish list. The Fernandes saga is perhaps one of the most underrated for Madridistas to follow.
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