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Manchester United have ramped up their pursuit of West Ham's Mateus Fernandes after snubbing the midfield talent during Ruben Amorim's tenure. The Portuguese was on United's radar towards the end of last season when he suffered relegation with Southampton.

After United passed on the opportunity to secure the 21-year-old, the Hammers swooped to snap him up for £38million, plus £4m in add-ons. Despite the London club's difficulties this season, Fernandes has shone and will almost certainly depart should West Ham drop down a division. Even if the Hammers manage to avoid the drop, they may find it hard to hold onto the youngster amid mounting interest from several clubs, with United among them, according to the Telegraph.

Having kept a close eye on him throughout this campaign, United are reported to have stepped up their interest considerably. Fernandes recently broke into the Portugal senior squad, lining up alongside Bruno Fernandes, who has been sufficiently impressed to recommend him to United, reports The Sun.

Mateus looks up to his namesake, saying ahead of the international debut: "The biggest one [role model] right now is Bruno because of the player he already is. Back when I was at Sporting, I looked up to him and tried to learn from him.

"He plays in the same league as me, he has a lot of experience with the national team and in the Premier League, I try to watch him a lot. Without a doubt, he stands out."

Portugal boss Roberto Martinez is equally impressed, describing his development as "incredible". That progress could earn him a spot in Martinez's World Cup squad.

Even before Casemiro's imminent exit was confirmed in January, it was abundantly evident that bolstering the midfield would be a top priority this summer. Newcastle star Sandro Tonali, Nottingham Forest's Elliot Anderson, Adam Wharton of Crystal Palace and Wolves' Joao Gomes have all been touted as potential arrivals at Old Trafford.

Real Madrid's Aurelien Tchouameni is another name in the frame. The Frenchman is reportedly high on the club's midfield shortlist and could be offloaded by the 15-time European champions should they secure a worthy replacement.

There has been encouraging progress on the midfield front, with Kobbie Mainoo putting pen to paper on a new deal, committing his future to the club until 2031. It rounded off a remarkable change of fortunes for the England international, who struggled to nail down a regular starting berth under Amorim and appeared destined to leave at one point.