Manchester United will hope finish the Premier League season strongly by beating Brighton and Hove Albion on Sunday.
The Red Devils endured a torrid first half of the campaign, but have been in fine form since Michael Carrick was named caretaker head coach in January.
The Englishman has overseen 11 wins from 16 matches since taking charge at the start of the year, and United now sit third in the top flight standings, six points clear of fourth-placed Aston Villa.
Ahead of their trip to the south coast, it has emerged that the Manchester outfit are in pole position to land a talented young midfielder this summer.
As per TEAMtalk, Manchester United have made early moves to sign West Ham United midfielder Mateus Fernandes and are leading the race to sign the Portuguese.
The report claims that the Red Devils have been monitoring the 21-year-old’s situation, with the Hammers on the verge of relegation to the Championship.
Fernandes looks likely to leave The London Stadium this summer (Photo: Action Plus Sports Images/Alamy)
Fernandes joined West Ham from Southampton for a fee of around £40 million last summer, following the Saints’ relegation to the second tier.
He has enjoyed a fine debut season in east London, making 37 appearances across all competitions.
The central midfielder’s contract with the Hammers is set to run until the end of the 2029/30 campaign, but the report suggests that the player will secure a move away from the club when the transfer window reopens.
West Ham are said to have placed a price tag in the region of £80 million on the midfielder, who made his senior international debut for Portugal last month.
Manchester United are set to be in the market for at least one new midfielder this summer, with veteran Casemiro departing the club.
Fernandes appears to be high on United’s list of targets, but it remains to be seen whether or not they can secure an agreement to sign the player.