Fabrizio Romano has issued an update on Manchester United’s reported bid to land West Ham midfielder Mateus Fernandes this summer. The Red Devils are in the market for a combative midfielder as they look to replace the outgoing Casemiro this summer.

Michael Carrick has already snapped up Ederson from Atalanta, but United want a statement signing they can plug and play in that holding role. A number of names have been mentioned, but West Ham’s Fernandes seems to be one of the lead targets, and Romano has provided the latest on the situation.

Romano’s Fernandes to Man Utd update

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Romano reported that United are currently in talks with West Ham over the signing of Fernandes, though the fee could be a sticking point.

“My understanding remains £85million the price of the player,” he began. “Obviously West Ham (would like) to have several clubs at the table to drive the price up, but at the moment still an open situation, the one of Mateus Fernandez, Real Madrid, genuine interest, a name indicated by José Mourinho, but they signed Bernardo Silva, so there are many midfielders at Real Madrid right now, and that’s why, at the moment, for Real Madrid, interest, yes, contact, yes, but still nothing advanced.

“Manchester United are in official negotiations with the agent of the player talking about the contract, and Manchester United are also in contact with West Ham to discuss about the transfer fee. Man United are not going to pay completely crazy money, so Man United wants to understand if there is the possibility to restructure the deal, maybe a lower fee than 85 million pounds, but maybe adding some add-ons and try to find a different structure.”

Fernandes a man in demand

via Reuters

Fernandes is attracting plenty of attention this summer, and while part of that is West Ham suffering relegation, interest was always likely given he clearly stood out for the Hammers in the season just gone.

At just 21 years of age, Fernandes has been identified by many as a player who has a huge future ahead of him, and national team manager Roberto Martinez is also well aware.“Regarding Mateus Fernandes, what he’s doing now is incredible,” he said. “We all know his journey and what he did in the under-21s.”

Fernandes is not at this summer’s World Cup, with Portugal having a superb midfield that includes Vitinha, who is arguably the best in the world in his position. But it’s clear Fernandes is well on course for a spot in his country’s national team.

Arsenal are in talks over the signing of Christos Tzolis from Club Brugge, GIVEMESPORT understands.

While a number of other clubs have been active already in the summer transfer market – despite it not officially being open yet – the Premier League champions have so far been quiet.

But that may be about to change.

The Gunners will not want to stand still after winning their first Premier League title in 22 years this season and coming oh so close to making it a historic double, losing out in the UEFA Champions League final on penalties to Paris Saint-Germain.

Two players could leave Arsenal this summer

A number of players have been linked with the exit door at the Emirates Stadium, with Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli among those tipped to leave the club this summer.

Manager Mikel Arteta will be in the market for attacking reinforcements and that’s where Tzolis comes in.

The left-sided forward would be a direct replacement for the likes of Trossard and Martinelli, should either or both depart the club this summer.

The 24-year-old enjoyed an extraordinary season in Belgium, scoring 22 goals and providing a whopping 29 assists in 52 appearances overall – almost a goal contribution in every game he played.

And Arsenal have opened talks with Brugge over a deal this summer, with GMS sources suggesting the Belgian outfit are looking for a fee in the region of £35million to sanction a transfer.

Tzolis actually has some Premier League experience under his belt already, having played 14 times for Norwich in the 2021/22 season when he was just a teenager. He did not manage a goal or assist in that time, although his appearances were generally limited to cameos off the substitutes’ bench.

Arsenal still want to sign Morgan Rogers

Any move for Tzolis will not impact the Gunners’ interest in Aston Villa star Morgan Rogers, who remains their leading target in attack. Arsenal will likely have to shell out upwards of £80million to complete a deal to sign Rogers this summer.

The Gunners do have the green light to discuss a move for Rogers with Villa, however, with GMS understanding that Rogers is expected to leave Villa Park this summer. The Villans have to balance the books financially with regard to the Premier League’s new Squad Cost Rules, as well as adhering to UEFA’s strict policy on squad cost rules too, having qualified for the Champions League.

Andrew Giuliani, the executive director of the White House’s Task Force for the 2026 World Cup, has made fresh claims about Omar Artan after the Somalian referee was denied entry to the United States earlier this week.

Artan, 34, was named Africa’s best referee last year and was on FIFA’s final list for this summer’s tournament in the USA, Mexico and Canada.

However, the FIFA-listed ref was barred from entering the United States after being interviewed for 11 hours by a border official, who reportedly pressed him on questions around Somali politics and militant groups.

Despite presenting his FIFA documentation and single-entry visa, Artan was placed on a plane to Istanbul, Turkey, before returning to a hero’s welcome back in his home country.

A US official informed ESPN that the Somali match official was denied entry due to “association with suspected members of terror organisations.”

Amid the backlash over the decision, Canadian politicians sent World Cup invitations to Artan. However, the 34-year-old would be unable to only take charge of World Cup fixtures based in Canada and Mexico due to referees’ chief Pierluigi Collina requesting the presence of all match officials at a training hub in Miami, Florida.

Days after being barred from the World Cup, UEFA announced Artan had been appointed the referee for the 2026 UEFA Super Cup between Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain and Europa League winners Aston Villa on August 12.

“Omar Artan is an excellent young but already experienced referee, who has proven himself at the highest competition level of the Confederation of African Football,” UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said.

“Football is made to connect people, and UEFA wants to show its respect to Omar and his outstanding officiating skills, which had earned him such a prestigious nomination.”

White House Chief Makes Fresh Claim Over Artan

Brian Snyder via Reuters

However, White House chief Andrew Giuliani has now described Artan as a “bad actor”, insisting it was “absolutely” the right call for the USA to send him home.

“There are some things that we can’t talk about,” Giuliani said in an exclusive interview with talkSPORT. “What I can tell you, from looking at it, is that he’s the only referee, he’s the only non-Irani official, that has been banned from coming into the country for this tournament.

Giuliani continued: “I’ll leave it at that. I know CBP (U.S Customs and Border Protection) has made a statement on it.

“What I can tell you from my standpoint, and having seen the information on what he was doing, was that I stand by CBP’s decision. It was the right decision.

“What President Trump has been clear on, is he wants to welcome the world that wants to enjoy the World Cup, that wants to participate and be a part of this World Cup here to the United States of America during this incredible tournament.

“But he’s not going to let the guise of a soccer tournament come in and give bad actors a potential opportunity to take action in the United States.”

Pressed on whether he believes Artan has possible links to terrorism, despite the valid US visa claim, Giuliani added: “Again, I go back to what CBP has said about this. What I’ll say is, from my seat, it was absolutely the right decision and I stand by it.”