REAL MADRID ALERT: MATEUS FERNANDES LINKED WITH SHOCK MOVE TO THE BERNABéU RECENTLY
West Ham face a double exit as Flamengo bid for Lucas Paqueta and Real Madrid target Mateus Fernandes via a £20m relegation clause.
West Ham United might lose one of their top players soon, and the non-stop talk about Lucas Paquetá only adds to the tension.
Tottenham Hotspur are on the hunt for another attacker for Thomas Frank this January. They’re not alone. Several clubs want Paquetá, but he’s leaning toward Flamengo. He’s already turned down one bid from the Brazilian side, who won the 2025 Copa Libertadores. Now, The Athletic says Flamengo came back with a second offer—over £35 million, add-ons included—but West Ham said no again.
West Ham wants more than £50 million to let Paquetá go. With less than two weeks left in the January window, the club’s in a tight spot. They’re just five points above the drop zone, and losing Paquetá now would make it tough to find a replacement.
And Paqueta isn’t the only one they have to worry about. If West Ham slips into the Championship, another key midfielder could be on his way out.
Now, about Mateus Fernandes—reports from Spain (via West Ham Zone) say several West Ham players have relegation clauses in their contracts. Fernandes, who’s been a standout since joining last summer on £60,000 a week, is one of them. If the club goes down, he can leave for around £20 million, which is about half of what West Ham paid for him. That price tag has put him on Real Madrid’s radar. He’s on a shortlist with names like Rodri and Vitinha, and Madrid sees him as a realistic target to boost their midfield.
Other clubs know about the clause too, but let’s face it—Madrid’s pull is hard to match. Fernandes is only 21, but his potential is clear. Former Southampton midfielder Jo Tessem spoke about him on BBC Radio Solent’s Southampton podcast in March 2025: “[Fernandes] is becoming an ultimate Premier League midfielder, and clubs are not going to let that go. He plays like a Premier League player. He passes like a Premier League player. He is quick like a Premier League player. He conducts himself so well in midfield.”
West Ham need Fernandes if they want to claw their way out of the bottom three. But if they end up relegated, it’s tough to imagine him sticking around.
SUNDERLAND CONDEMNS "VILE" RACIST ABUSE AIMED AT BRIAN BROBBEY AFTER SPURS WIN
Brian Brobbey targeted online! Sunderland and the Premier League unite against "vile" discrimination after Spurs win.
Sunderland called out the racist abuse aimed at Brian Brobbey on social media and made it clear they stand fully behind him.
Brobbey was targeted online right after Sunderland’s 1-0 win over Tottenham in the Premier League on Sunday. On Monday, the club released a statement: “Sunderland condemns in the strongest possible terms the racist abuse directed at Brian Brobbey on social media following Sunday’s fixture against Tottenham. We stand firmly with Brian and offer him our full and unwavering support.”
Sadly, this isn’t the first time Sunderland players have had to deal with this kind of abuse this season. After February’s match against Fulham, Romaine Mundle received hateful messages online, and last month the Tyne-Wear derby had to be paused when someone in the crowd reportedly aimed abuse at Lutsharel Geertruida.
The club’s statement continued: “This isn’t an isolated event. The recent abuse aimed at Romaine Mundle and Lutsharel Geertruida shows just how often and how unacceptably this keeps happening, both at matches and on the internet. We’ve reported this latest incident to the Premier League, the social media platforms, and the police, and we expect them to act quickly against the people responsible. Racism is vile, and it doesn’t belong in football or anywhere else. We’ll keep calling it out, clearly and without hesitation, every time it happens. Football should be safe and welcoming for everyone, no exceptions.”
The Premier League is backing Brobbey as well. In a post on their X account, they said they’re “disgusted by the ongoing discrimination” players keep facing online. “We stand alongside Sunderland in strongly condemning the online racist abuse Brian Brobbey has received and have offered our full support to him and the club. We are disgusted by the ongoing discrimination players are facing on social media and are committed to working with clubs, authorities, law enforcement, and social media companies to address this issue, as well as supporting investigations to bring those responsible to justice.
Anyone found guilty of discrimination will face the toughest possible punishments: jail time, football bans, and even a criminal record.”
DAVID MOYES REVEALS "NERVES" AS EVERTON HUNT HISTORIC CHAMPIONS LEAGUE QUALIFICATION SPOT
David Moyes admits Everton's Champions League hunt is nerve-wracking. See the latest on the Toffees' battle for Europe.
David Moyes admits the idea of Everton making the Champions League this soon in their rebuild actually makes him “shake a wee bit.”
You look at the club now, and it's hard to believe where they were just 14 months ago. When Moyes returned, Everton looked beaten down from years of fighting to stay up. Suddenly, with only seven games left, they’re sitting eighth. That spot could mean Europa Conference League football, but after their win against Chelsea before the break, they’re now just three points off fourth. It’s wild to even talk about the Champions League, but it’s right there in reach.
Reporters put the question to him how does it feel to be this close? With Europe’s spots possibly extending down to fifth (or maybe even further, depending on how other English clubs do), Moyes wasn’t hiding his nerves: “It’s probably the best shot we’ve had in a long time. But when I hear ‘Champions League’? Makes me shake a wee bit, honestly. I’ve been lucky to manage in Europe’s other competitions lately, and if we do make it, I’m sure we’d be able to hold our own at certain stages. Still, the Champions League is just on another level.”
Everton’s next match at Brentford looks huge for their European dreams. Brentford beat them earlier in the season, and right now, both teams are level, separated only by goal difference.
Moyes is clearly enjoying this chapter. “Listen, Europe’s Europe. If someone had said at the start, ‘You’re going to get European football,’ we’d have snapped their hand off. It could be the tiddlywinks European cup, and we’d be up for it. Evertonians want the club back in those conversations. We’re getting attention for the new stadium, we’ve got a couple of England internationals getting noticed more, it’s a good time. If we do sneak into the Champions League, it’d be an unbelievable achievement. But honestly, no matter which competition we make, it’s still a big step forward for us.”
