Tottenham accelerate Mateus Fernandes deal and are 'confident' of another marquee midfield signing

Tottenham Hotspur are firmly in the race to sign Mateus Fernandes from West Ham United in the ongoing transfer window, sources have told Football Insider.

The North London outfit are working on a deal after reportedly reached an agreement with the Portuguese midfielder on personal terms.

This comes after Football Insider revealed that Man United have also agreed terms on a contract with Fernandes.

After barely avoiding relegation, the Lilywhites have already begun for a major squad rebuild as they look to get back towards the top of the Premier League table under Roberto De Zerbi.

With Spurs looking to bolster their midfield by signing Fernandes, it could pave the way for the potential departures of Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison.

While the Swedish attacker and the English midfielder have established themselves as fan favourites at Tottenham, it wouldn't be surprising to see them leave soon.

Kulusevski and Maddison's persistent fitness issues over the last few months have left them barely featuring for the North Londoners, making them liabilities in N71.

Fernandes has shown a willingness to join Tottenham after West Ham United's relegation to the Championship.

The next step for Spurs is to start negotiations with the Hammers, but as of now, no official club-to-club talks have taken place for the Portugal international's move.

Sources say the 21-year-old is open to joining the North London outfit amid interest from several other top teams around Europe.

West Ham signed the versatile midfielder, capable of playing in a deeper or more attacking position, for £40million last summer, and want to double their money if they are to sell him a year later.

Football Insider transfer correspondent Pete O'Rourke shared on 19 June that Tottenham were confident of beating rivals to Sandro Tonali's signing, with the Newcastle United star open to the move.

With Fernandes another name Spurs are pursuing, it looks like the North London outfit intend to build a competitive squad for De Zerbi ahead of next season.

Spurs have already signed Jan Paul van Hecke, Marcos Senesi and Andy Robertson this summer, but there's certainly a lot more to keep an eye on going forward.