Paul Ince has mocked the “absolute madness” fee Tottenham Hotspur are prepared to pay for West Ham United midfielder Mateus Fernandes.Tottenham Hotspur have been victims of transfer swoops in the past, with Arsenal’s move for Eberechi Eze one of the more notable examples.This summer, however, Spurs are looking to do some swooping of their own as they continue their pursuit of Mateus Fernandes, who is also firmly on the radar of Manchester United. For much of the summer, the Red Devils have been touted as favourites to land the midfielder, but in recent weeks, Spurs have stolen a march on their rivals.Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty ImagesPaul Ince questions ‘crazy’ Mateus Fernandes valuationTottenham are understood to have received the green light for a move for Fernandes after agreeing personal terms with the midfielder.The Lilywhites managed to do so by offering significantly more than United, who were reported to have also agreed personal terms with Fernandes. TeamTALK say Spurs are willing to offer above West Ham United’s minimum £80m valuation, presenting a package of £65m up front with the remaining £20m in add-ons and bonuses.That is an enormous amount for a 21-year-old, and should a deal be agreed, it would see Spurs break their own record for the highest fee spent on a single player.Former Manchester United and England midfielder Paul Ince has now questioned the valuation of Fernandes, arguing that transfer fees in the modern game have reached extraordinary levels. Speaking to BestBettingSites, as relayed by TeamTalk, Ince compared the proposed deal to his own move from West Ham United to Manchester United and explained why he believes midfielders are commanding unrealistic fees.He said, “Well, it is funny… I went from West Ham to Man United for £1 million! Which is absolute madness when you look at the prices today.“When you are spending that type of money £80 million, £110 million, you expect that kind of money to be reserved for a striker who guarantees you 30 goals a season.“Mateus Fernandes at West Ham… they are talking £80 million for him. I mean, before he joined West Ham, he played in a Southampton side that went down; he has now had back-to-back relegations, so to command that kind of money is crazy.“I know he is technically a very good player, but when you pay that much money for midfield players, I want to see an all-rounder.“I look at how I used to play, or Roy Keane, Patrick Vieira, Steven Gerrard – lads who went up and down, scored goals, put in massive tackles, and set up chances. Pure all-rounders.“I do not think a lot of these modern players are true all-rounders.“So, for clubs to spend this type of money is pure madness.“If you are talking £120 million for Elliot Anderson… come on. Jesus Christ, that is a lot of money!“It is not the kid’s fault, but if Roy Keane is valued at £300 million in today’s money, then if Anderson is worth £120 million, I have got to be worth at least £250 million, at least,” he said with a laugh.Spurs fee compared to Premier League record transfersWhile Fernandes will certainly not come cheap, Tottenham signing him for £80m would still leave them some way off the record fee spent on a single signing in the Premier League.Last season, Liverpool splashed out on Florian Wirtz, spending a staggering £116m on the German. Arsenal paid over £100m for Declan Rice, while Chelsea committed similar figures for both Enzo Fernandez and Moisés Caicedo.Should Spurs land Fernandes, they would not even break into the top ten most expensive purchases in Premier League history.RankPlayerFromToTransfer fee1Florian WirtzBayer 04 LeverkusenLiverpool FC~£116m (€125m)2Enzo FernandezSL BenficaChelsea FC~£106.8m (€121m)3Moisés CaicedoBrighton & Hove AlbionChelsea FC~£115m (€116m)4Declan RiceWest Ham UnitedArsenal FC~£105m (€116.6m)5Jack GrealishAston VillaManchester City FC£100m (€117.5m)6Romelu LukakuInter MilanChelsea FC£97.5m7Paul PogbaJuventus FCManchester United~£93m (€105m)8Kai HavertzBayer 04 LeverkusenChelsea FC~£90m9AntonyAjaxManchester United~£86m10Darwin NúñezSL BenficaLiverpool FC~£85mREAD MORE: Trouble for Tottenham as Man United burst back into Mateus Fernandes race with new talksThe post Paul Ince slams Tottenham’s £85m Mateus Fernandes offer as ‘pure madness’ appeared first on Spurs Web.