Mourinho Targets Mateus Fernandes for Real Madrid Rebuild

José Mourinho has not even taken charge of a game at Real Madrid yet, but the outline of his midfield already has a name underlined in thick ink: Mateus Fernandes.

The 21-year-old West Ham United midfielder is emerging as a key target for the incoming Bernabéu boss after a breakout Premier League campaign that put him firmly on the radar of Europe’s elite. Across 36 league appearances, Fernandes produced three goals and four assists, numbers that only tell part of the story of a season in which he often looked a level above a struggling side around him.

West Ham’s relegation has changed everything. While the club braces for life in the Championship in 2026/27, their most prized young asset is not expected to follow them down. A player who has just proved he can handle the pace and intensity of the Premier League is unlikely to lack offers, and the queue is already forming.

According to Diario AS, Mourinho has pushed Fernandes near the top of his shortlist as he looks to refresh Real Madrid’s engine room. The report states that the Portuguese coach has submitted a series of recommendations to the club hierarchy, with Fernandes among the names he wants to build around. Real Madrid, for their part, are described as already moving to satisfy their new manager’s demands.

The interest does not stop in Spain. Arsenal and Liverpool are also credited with a serious look at the West Ham standout, both clubs tracking an opportunity that rarely appears on the market: a young, Premier League-proven midfielder, available after relegation and still years away from his peak.

For Fernandes, the next step will define his career. A season that ended in disappointment for West Ham has opened a door at the very top of the European game. Whether he walks out at the Bernabéu, the Emirates, Anfield, or somewhere else entirely, he will not be short of suitors—or expectation.