Mourinho Targets 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 clear. He wants Mateus Fernandes.

The West Ham United midfielder has emerged as a leading target for the incoming coach, with Spanish outlet Diario AS reporting that Mourinho has placed the 21-year-old firmly on his recruitment list for this summer.

A standout in a sinking side

West Ham’s season ended in failure, their relegation back to the Championship for 2026/27 confirming a brutal fall after years in the Premier League. Fernandes, though, walked away with his reputation enhanced.

Three goals and four assists in 36 league appearances do not tell the full story, but they underline his influence in a struggling side. Week after week he carried responsibility in the middle of the pitch, and while his efforts could not save the Hammers, they did not go unnoticed.

Relegation changes everything. A player of that profile, that age, and with a full Premier League campaign behind him rarely spends long in the second tier. West Ham now face the familiar post-drop dilemma: cash in or risk losing a major asset on their way back up.

Mourinho’s engine-room rebuild

Mourinho, preparing for his new era at the Bernabéu, has identified midfield as an area that needs fresh energy and ideas. According to the report, he has already submitted a list of names to the club’s hierarchy.

On that list is Mateus Fernandes.

“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,” Diario AS notes.

That line says plenty. Real Madrid are not just monitoring; they have started to act, aware that the market around the youngster is heating up.

Premier League giants circle

Madrid are not alone. Arsenal and Liverpool are also credited with strong interest in Fernandes, adding a distinctly Premier League flavour to the chase for a player who has just proven he can handle that environment.

Arsenal see technical, progressive midfielders as central to their project. Liverpool, reshaping their own engine room, are always alert to dynamic, multi-purpose options. Both clubs know that relegation can open doors that are usually locked.

So a battle is forming: two English heavyweights, and a Real Madrid side reshaping itself under one of the most demanding managers in the game.

A pivotal summer for a 21-year-old

At 21, Fernandes stands on the edge of a decisive career move. Stay and fight to drag West Ham back up? Or seize the chance to jump straight into the elite, with all the scrutiny and expectation that brings?

Mourinho has made his stance clear. He wants the midfielder in white, part of a new-look Real Madrid core.

Whether the pull of the Bernabéu, and the promise of working under his compatriot, proves stronger than the Premier League’s call will define one of this summer’s more intriguing transfer sagas.