Chelsea and Tottenham have reportedly both joined the race to sign Spartak Moscow midfielder Fernando who is seemingly a man in demand.
Both clubs could arguably benefit from midfield reinforcements this summer, Chelsea in particular, having failed to get the best out of pair Tiemoue Bakayoko and Danny Drinkwater this season.
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In turn, that would explain their interest in Fernando, with The Sun reporting that they join Spurs, Sevilla, Everton and Atletico Madrid in having an interest in the £22m-rated Brazilian who has impressed since moving to the Russian giants.
Having previously enjoyed a short stint in Italy with Sampdoria and prior to that with Gremio and Shakhtar Donetsk, he hasn’t quite managed to crack it in one of Europe’s big league for a prolonged period, but he could be set to get the opportunity in England or Spain next season.
It’s difficult to see the move making a great deal of sense for Tottenham given that Mauricio Pochettino already has the likes of Mousa Dembele, Victor Wanyama, Dele Alli, Christian Eriksen and countless other options in his current squad fighting for places in his midfield.
However, Fernando would certainly add more defensive steel to the side and so particularly in the event that Tottenham lose a key player, they could choose to swoop for him.
It remains to be seen if Everton, Sevilla or Atleti have a genuine interest and hold a bigger appeal to the man in question, as he would arguably have a better chance of a more prominent role elsewhere given the names mentioned above already at both Chelsea and Spurs.