Southampton owner Dragan Solak notes that reinvesting Mateus Fernandes’ transfer fee has increased the Saints’ squad valuation by around £100m.
The summer window hasn’t even officially opened, and Southampton have already made several solid additions to their squad. Following permanent deals for Daniel Peretz and Cyle Larin, loanee George Long became the Saints’ third signing within a week.
Beyond their own transfer business, Southampton are likely monitoring the activity of their Championship rivals. While tracking promotion competitors helps on the sporting side, the Saints will also have one eye on the notable Mateus Fernandes saga unfolding at West Ham.
Following West Ham’s relegation to the Championship, the club have slapped a massive £85m price tag on Fernandes for potential suitors. Should they sanction a sale anywhere near that figure, the deal would become the highest ever for a Championship player.
The current record is held by Southampton, who sold Roméo Lavia to Chelsea for £58m in the summer of 2023. While an ex‑Saint could take that record away, Southampton wouldn’t mind, given how profitable the entire Mateus Fernandes operation has been for them.
Southampton’s financial incentives outweigh any West Ham profit
Mateus Fernandes ended the 2024/25 Premier League campaign on a terrible note with Southampton. Although he had a fantastic individual season that saw him win the Saints’ Fans’ Player of the Season award, he was hardly convinced to continue his St. Mary’s spell.
Notably, the midfielder was keen to have won many more games than Southampton could in a 12‑point campaign. While his intentions were clear on wanting an exit, Saints owner Dragan Solak has recently opened up about his discussions with Fernandes before the sale.
As quoted by SaintsExtra, Solak said: “He came to me, and he said, ‘If I stay in Southampton, I will never get to play for the Portuguese national team.’ And I said, ‘Okay, that’s fair. Bring me the money you want, and then I will let you go.'”
Eventually, Southampton collected a massive £38 million upfront fee for Fernandes, with several add‑ons included. The Saints also ensured they would benefit from any future sale by inserting a 15% sell‑on clause.
READ MORE: Dragan Solak outlines emotional reason behind Mateus Fernandes £42m Southampton exit
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Fast forward to this summer, and another brilliant Premier League season has seen Fernandes attract significant interest from clubs like Man United. However, while West Ham have slapped an £85m price tag on him, it’s unlikely they will secure such a fee while being in the Championship.
Realistically, West Ham could hope to collect a transfer fee in the region of £60m at the higher end for Mateus Fernandes. Compared to the club’s approximate £20m profit on the Portuguese midfielder, Southampton’s incentive of a straight‑up £23m profit on Fernandes’s sale, combined with their 15% sell‑on clause, would outweigh the Hammers’ gain.
Southampton’s reinvestment of Fernandes’ transfer fee is now worth £100m
Even if West Ham chooses to hold off on selling Fernandes this summer, Southampton’s sell‑on windfall would only be delayed. Until then, the Saints can still take comfort in the £100m squad valuation they achieved by reinvesting the midfielder’s transfer fee into their existing squad.
Dragan Solak proudly looks back on the successful reinforcement funded by the Fernandes sale. The club chairman said: “We reinvested this into four new players. We got Caspar Jander, Tom Fellows, Finn Azaz and Leo Scienza, and when you look at their levels now, we probably sold Matty for £100m.”
Notably, Southampton brought in Azaz for £12m, Jander in a £10.4m deal, and signed Fellows and Scienza for around £8m each in upfront fees. Looking at how these deals have turned out, Solak’s £100m valuation claim is hardly far‑fetched.
Starting with Jander, the midfielder is actively being monitored by RB Leipzig as part of an ambitious move. Meanwhile, Léo Scienza’s case is similar as he has been a target for Premier League clubs for months now. On the other hand, Azaz and Fellows’ valuation has increased impressively.
While Southampton would not rush into selling any of these four star players, the club could still secure a significant sum from them alone. Given that they were all signed for a combined fee of £38m, only slightly more than Southampton’s potential profit on the Fernandes sale, it has been an incredible piece of transfer business for the club overall.
READ MORE SOUTHAMPTON NEWS HERE:
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- Caspar Jander top of Champions League club’s replacement plans for €50m exit-bound star
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