West Ham have had a £30million bid rejected for Southampton midfielder Mateus Fernandes.
Hammers boss Graham Potter identified the 21-year-old as his top target as he looks to bolster his midfield ahead of the new season.
Relegated Saints turned down West Ham’s opening offer, which is understood to be around half their valuation of the player.
It remains to be seen whether the Hammers will return with an improved bid with insiders acknowledging the two clubs’ valuations are very different.
Fernandes came on as a second-half substitute in Southampton’s dramatic victory over Wrexham on the opening day of the Championship season.
West Ham have strengthened their defensive line over the summer with the arrival of wing-back El Hadji Malick Diouf from Slavia Prague for £19m and goalkeeper Mads Hermansen from Leicester City for £18m.
West Ham have had a £30million bid rejected for Southampton midfielder Mateus Fernandes
Hammers boss Graham Potter identified the midfielder as his top target in the summer window
Getting at least one new midfielder is now the priority for Potter with the club also keen on Aston Villa’s Jacob Ramsey.
West Ham are yet to make a formal approach for the £40m-rated midfielder who Daily Mail Sport revealed is yet to be convinced by the idea of joining Villa’s Premier League rivals.
