Mourinho Eyes West Ham's Mateus Fernandes for Real Madrid

José Mourinho has never been shy about going against the grain. Now, as he prepares to take charge at Real Madrid, his gaze has fallen not on the Champions League spotlight, but on a player emerging from the shadows of relegation: West Ham United’s Mateus Fernandes.

The 21-year-old midfielder has just completed a breakout season in the Premier League, one of the few bright, consistent sparks in a West Ham side that slid out of the top flight. Across 36 league appearances, Fernandes produced three goals and four assists, but his impact stretched well beyond the numbers. He carried responsibility, drove attacks, and refused to shrink as the pressure mounted around him.

West Ham still went down. The table is unforgiving. Yet performances like his rarely go unnoticed for long.

From The Championship trapdoor to the Bernabéu?

Relegation changes everything. For West Ham, it means a return to The Championship in 2026/27 and a summer of difficult decisions. For Fernandes, it almost certainly means the door is open.

At 21, with a full Premier League campaign behind him and his reputation rising, he is widely expected to move on before the window closes. The market has reacted quickly.

According to Diario AS, Mourinho has already placed Fernandes on a shortlist of midfield targets as he looks to reshape Madrid’s engine room. The report is blunt about the coach’s stance:

“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 key line. Mourinho wants him. And when Mourinho identifies a midfielder he trusts, clubs tend to listen.

A crowded race for a rising midfielder

Real Madrid are not alone in this chase. Arsenal and Liverpool are also credited with strong interest in the West Ham standout, turning Fernandes’ future into one of the more intriguing subplots of the summer.

Arsenal, still fine-tuning the balance of their midfield, see a young player with Premier League minutes and the versatility to adapt. Liverpool, in the middle of their own rebuild, know the value of a dynamic, all-action midfielder who has already shown he can cope with the tempo and physicality of England’s top division.

Now Madrid are at the table, armed with Mourinho’s conviction and the pull of the Bernabéu.

West Ham, heading into a gruelling Championship campaign, face the prospect of losing one of their most valuable assets. The club’s relegation weakens their negotiating position, but it also guarantees interest, and potentially a bidding war, for a player whose stock has never been higher.

The question is no longer whether Mateus Fernandes will leave. It is which giant he chooses to grow with next — and whether Mourinho’s call proves decisive.