Transfer Rumours: Man Utd blow Arsenal out of the water with €100m Mateus Fernandes move

21 May 2026 06:04 BST |
6 min read

Multilingual sports writer who specialises in European football and American soccer.

FootballTransfers runs through the biggest rumours and gossip from 21 May, including the latest updates on Mateus Fernandes, Marc Cucurella and Alisson.

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Man Utd favourites for Fernanes

Man Utd have “barged their rivals aside” in the race to sign West Ham midfielder Mateus Fernandes, TEAMtalk claims.

The Red Devils have held fresh talks with the player’s camp and are now believed to be firmly in pole position to secure his signing. However, West Ham continue to insist on a fee north of €90 million.

The 21-year-old, though, is very keen on the move. He idolises Man Utd captain and compatriot Bruno Fernandes and would like to link up with him at club level. If West Ham get relegated on Sunday, they will likely have to lower their demands for Fernandes.

Atletico Madrid’s ambitious plans

Atletico Madrid are keen to sign Joao Gomes, Bernardo Silva and Marc Cucurella, Sky Sports reports.

The Spanish giants are believed to have reached a breakthrough in their negotiations with Wolves over a transfer fee for Gomes and are now working to finalise his signing.

Their next recruits could be Chelsea defender Cucurella, who is a long-term target for director Mathieu Alemany, and departing Man City captain Silva, who will be available on a free transfer.

Alemany was in charge of Barcelona’s recruitment after the Catalans sold Cucurella to Getafe in 2020 and reportedly wanted to bring him back to the Camp Nou. He remains determined to sign him.

Alisson agent ready to step up Juve talks

Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson remains keen to join Juventus despite their potential lack of Champions League football next term, Gazzetta dello Sport writes.

The Brazil international would be prepared to join the Old Lady even if they were to play in the Europa League next season. He is very interested in returning to Italy after previously playing for AS Roma.

Because of Alisson’s participation at the World Cup, discussions between Juventus, the player and Liverpool are expected to accelerate in hopes of reaching an agreement before he jets off to North America.

Barcelona want Romero

Barcelona have pivoted their interest from Inter defender Alessandro Bastoni to Tottenham captain Cristian Romero, Sport states.

Reports in Italy had already suggested that Barcelona’s interest in Bastoni was cooling, and the Spanish outlet now asserts that a deal is off, with the Inter star simply too expensive and not a clear fit for Hansi Flick’s system.

This has led the Catalans to consider a move for Romero, who is determined to leave Spurs this summer. Tottenham want €60m for their captain, so Barcelona are hoping that the North London club get relegated, which would weaken their negotiating position.

Alvarez swap deal?

Atletico Madrid could be willing to agree a player-plus-cash deal for Julian Alvarez, as per TEAMtalk.

The LaLiga outfit would prefer to keep the striker and have slapped a prohibitive €150m price tag on his head, but they could be tempted into doing a mutually beneficial deal if they were offered a player in return.

Arsenal and PSG, who are both interested in Alvarez, have players that Atleti like and would gladly sign. The Gunners could offer up Gabriel Martinelli, while the Parisians could sacrifice Goncalo Ramos.

More transfer rumours

Newcastle are keeping the faith in Nick Woltemade and are not looking to offload him this summer. (The Telegraph)

A number of Premier League and Serie A clubs are interested in €25m-rated Lyon midfielder Tanner Tessmann. (The Athletic)

Jose Mourinho is poised to make Man City star Rodri his first Real Madrid signing. (Sport)

Borussia Dortmund remain interested in Arsenal youngster Ethan Nwaneri after exploring a deal last year. (Sky Germany)

Newcastle have opened contract talks with Tino Livramento, and they could do the same with Lewis Hall. (Lee Ryder)

Koln wonderkid Said El Mala has informed his teammates that he will leave the club this summer amid strong interest from Brentford. (BILD)

Ansu Fati has not yet greenlit a permanent move to AS Monaco because he has been informed that he could replace Marcus Rashford at Barcelona this summer. (Mundo Deportivo)

Xabi Alonso could reunite with his former Bayer Leverkusen star Edmond Tapsoba at Chelsea despite the defender’s recent contract extension. (TEAMtalk)

Man Utd are considering a €30m move for Borussia Dortmund right-back Julian Ryerson. (Sky Germany)

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Tom Weber is an experienced, multilingual sports writer who specialises in European football and American soccer as part of his freelance work for FootballTransfers.

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