West Ham scramble to add midfield reinforcements after Fernandes and Casadó bids

West Ham have submitted bids for Southampton’s Mateus Fernandes and Barcelona’s Marc Casadó as they scramble to add energy and creativity to their midfield. The club also had an approach for Andrey Santos rejected by Chelsea earlier this week and were advised not to try for the Brazilian midfielder again.

Graham Potter is hunting for midfield reinforcements after West Ham’s frailties were exposed during their 3-0 defeat by Sunderland on the opening weekend. It has been slow going and it remains to be seen if West Ham have made any progress in their pursuit of Fernandes. Their first offer of £30m for the 21-year-old was rejected by Southampton last week and the sense is that their latest bid will not be enough to secure an agreement.

Potter is looking for two midfielders – one to sit deep and control play, another to operate in a more advanced role – and a move has been made for Casadó. The 21-year-old made 36 appearances in all competitions for Barça last season. The chances of West Ham signing him are not seen as high. Wolves are also interested in Casadó. West Ham are also targeting Lille’s Ngal’ayel Mukau.

West Ham hope to make space in their budget by loaning Edson Álvarez to Fenerbahce. The Mexico midfielder, who earns £115,000 a week, has not made up his mind on whether to join the Turkish side. Porto and Borussia Dortmund are also interested in Álvarez.

A host of players have been offered to West Ham, who have made four signings this summer. They are monitoring Romano Schmid, who plays in attacking midfield for Werder Bremen. Schmid is a potential alternative to Fernandes. West Ham expect to move forward with other targets if Álvarez goes.

Meanwhile, Aston Villa have confirmed the winger Leon Bailey has joined Roma on a season-long loan deal with an option to buy. The 28-year-old will join up with the Serie A side who finished fifth in the league last season.

Bailey has made 144 appearances for Villa since he signed for the club from Bayer Leverkusen in 2021. The Jamaica international was a regular starter for Unai Emery’s side over his first couple of seasons with the club but struggled to get game time in the latter half of last season after an injury.

Bournemouth are close to signing Amine Adli after agreeing a fee of £25m plus bonuses for the Morocco forward with Bayer Leverkusen.

It is understood that Adli, who was part of the side that went unbeaten in the 2023-24 Bundesliga season, is due to complete his medical on Wednesday before signing a five-year contract. The 24-year-old made almost 100 appearances for Leverkusen and is targeting a place in Morocco’s squad for the African Nations Cup later this year, which they are hosting.