Tottenham is about to spend like no one saw coming. The club has agreed to a club-record £85 million deal for Sporting CP midfielder Mateus Fernandes, according to reports, beating out Manchester United in a late-stage bidding war that got ugly fast. A medical has been scheduled for this week. Personal terms? Not expected to be a problem. Fernandes will likely become one of the highest-paid players at the club.
The timing matters here. Fernandes is supposed to report back for preseason with West Ham on Monday — he’s technically still their player, on loan from Sporting — and Spurs want this thing buttoned up before then. That’s a tight window. But the team has been given permission to book the medical, so the wheels are moving.
This would be Spurs’ fifth signing of the summer, and it resets their transfer record for the second time in about a week. The previous high was Dominic Solanke’s £65 million arrival from Bournemouth back in 2024. So yeah, they’re not messing around.
How They Got Here
Manchester United had been tracking Fernandes for a while. His agent, Jorge Mendes, was working both sides. But Tottenham jumped into the race late — and apparently with a bigger checkbook. United couldn’t match the structure of the offer, and Fernandes was willing to join either club, so the financial muscle decided it.
It’s not just about Fernandes though. Spurs have already brought in Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi and Martin Dubravka on free transfers, and they dropped £52 million on Brighton defender Jan Paul van Hecke earlier this window. That’s four additions already, and they’re not done.
The Sandro Tonali Situation
Meanwhile, Tottenham is still in active talks with Newcastle about Sandro Tonali. Another player Manchester United had their eyes on, Tonali is reportedly open to moving to north London. The deal would likely cost upwards of £90 million in transfer fees, which would break the Fernandes record before it’s even a week old.
Newcastle is playing hardball, but Spurs have the momentum. If they pull off both deals, they’ll have spent somewhere around £175 million on two midfielders in one window. That’s a statement. Whether it works on the pitch is another question, but the ambition is undeniable.
No official confirmation from the club yet on either deal, but the medical for Fernandes is the tell. This one is happening.
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