Tottenham Hotspur have made a stunning start to the summer transfer window, showing more ambition than any other Premier League club in the opening weeks.
The urgency is understandable given the disastrous season Spurs endured, with the club fortunate to still be in the top flight at all.
Having already bolstered their defence with Marcos Senesi, Jan Paul van Hecke and Andy Robertson, Tottenham are now pursuing two elite midfielders simultaneously.
Sandro Tonali remains a primary target, with Spurs having already seen a £75m bid rejected by Newcastle United and the player reportedly agreeing personal terms with the club.
The connection between Tonali and Spurs manager De Zerbi, both hailing from Brescia in Italy, is said to be helping drive negotiations forward.
Manchester City and Arsenal are also interested in Tonali, meaning Tottenham face stiff competition if they are to secure his signature this summer.
Alongside the Tonali pursuit, Spurs have turned their attention to West Ham United’s Mateus Fernandes, lodging an enquiry with the Hammers at the start of last week.
Reports from Spain now suggest that the 21-year-old Portuguese midfielder is “very close” to reaching an agreement on personal terms with Tottenham.
Fernandes is described as “open” to joining the Lilywhites, though no official negotiations have yet taken place directly with West Ham, who value the player at £85m.
Manchester United are widely expected to sign Fernandes this summer, but Spurs are firmly in the race and could yet pull off a significant coup.
West Ham’s relegation is expected to force the sale of Fernandes and other key first-team players, which could work in Tottenham’s favour during negotiations.
The move draws obvious comparisons to Spurs’ signing of Mohammed Kudus from West Ham last summer for £55m, a deal that proved inspired in the opening half of the campaign.
Kudus ended the season with three goals and six assists in 26 matches, but was widely regarded as far better than those numbers suggest, with his creativity drawing widespread praise.
When assessed against under-21 midfielders across Europe’s top seven leagues in 2025/26, Fernandes ranked second for progressive passes completed and first for possession won, defensive duels won and interceptions.
His statistics per 90 minutes last season are remarkably comparable to those of Tonali, underlining just how developed the youngster already is at such a young age.
Tottenham believe Fernandes has the qualities to become one of the best midfielders in the world, and consider him a low-risk signing given his proven Premier League pedigree.
Much like Kudus before him, Fernandes has demonstrated the ability to thrive in a team that does not dominate possession, a trait that suits Spurs’ system well.
Beating Manchester United to the signature of one of the division’s standout young midfielders would represent a major statement of intent from Tottenham this summer.