There were two main reasons why Mateus Fernandes informed Manchester United that he prefers to join Tottenham Hotspur.
Until a few days ago, several sources continued to report that Man United were confident that Fernandes would choose them over Spurs.
However, the Red Devils were left disappointed on Tuesday as Tottenham completed a club record £85m deal for the Portugal international, despite not having European football next season.
Several sources have claimed that Roberto De Zerbi had multiple phone calls with the 21-year-old in an effort to persuade him to come to N17, and it turns out those conversations may have played a major role in the transfer.
Mateus Fernandes’ camp insists Tottenham move was not financially motivated
TEAMtalk say that Fernandes had held ‘extensive discussions’ with both clubs over the past few weeks, with Man United believing that they held an advantage due to their sporting director Jason Wilcox’s long-standing relationship with the player.
However, the midfielder informed United this week that he will be joining Tottenham Hotspur instead, making it clear that his decision is not just financially motivated.
While Spurs have offered a much better financial package than the Manchester club, the player’s camp insists that it was never about simply joining the highest bidder.
Instead, the former Sporting Lisbon man chose Tottenham due to his belief in De Zerbi’s vision for the North London club. Fernandes was won over by the Italian’s plans and the direction of his project with the Lilywhites.
Man United were willing to get close to Spurs’ fee for Fernandes
In fact, TEAMtalk claim to have heard from United sources that they too were prepared to get close to West Ham’s £85m valuvation to get the deal over the line.
The East London club, for their part, were willing to conclude a deal with either the Red Devils or the Lilywhites.
The deciding factor proved to be Fernandes himself, with the player informing United that his future lay at Tottenham, which came as a big blow to Wilcox and the United recruitment department.
The outlet adds that the opportunity to remain in London also played a part in tempting the midfielder to choose Spurs over Michael Carrick’s side.