Could today be the day that decides potentially one of the biggest transfers in history? Chelsea have officially set a deadline of 17:00 BST on Friday for any interested parties, specifically Manchester City, to submit formal offers for Argentine midfielder Enzo Fernandez. The London club has placed a valuation of £120m on the player, a move that underscores their intent to resolve his future before the broader transfer window closes on 1 September at 23:00 BST.
The potential move would see the Argentina midfielder link up again with new City boss Enzo Maresca. When asked in a news conference on Friday if they were likely to do imminent transfer business, Maresca stated, “I don’t think we’re going to do something today.” However, this does not preclude the club from making moves behind closed doors. City have already secured a significant midfield signing this summer in Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson for £116m.
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A potential deal for Fernandez seems to rely on City selling Spain midfielder Rodri, officially the best player at the 2026 World Cup among numerous other accolades, to Barcelona. Defensive midfielder Rodri has been a crucial part of City’s success in recent years, helping them win the 2022-23 Treble, including scoring the winner in the Champions League final against Inter Milan. The 30-year-old has played 298 times, lifting four league titles and the Ballon d’Or.
Rodri wants to return to his native Spain and join Barcelona, with Real Madrid having dropped out of the chase. City are asking for 80m euros (£68.4m), but Barcelona’s opening bid for a player out of contract next summer was only £38.5m. Sport’s Simon Stone notes that the Rodri and Fernandez deals are dependent on each other; if City knew Rodri was departing, it would enable them to make a formal bid for Fernandez.
Maresca is clearly a huge fan of Fernandez, having made him Chelsea captain when Reece James was injured. He played the Argentine in 79 of his 92 games in charge. Although Fernandez is by nature a defensive midfielder, Maresca played him further forward many times last season, suggesting several tactical fits for him in the current City setup. The club also signed England midfielder Anderson, who, like Fernandez, offers positional flexibility.
City continue to be linked to another defensive midfielder in Lille’s Ayyoub Bouaddi. Meanwhile, the relationship between Fernandez and Chelsea worsened significantly after the exit of Maresca in January. Maresca’s mid-season departure was disruptive and unsettled players, including Fernandez, leading to a lengthy legal dispute that ultimately saw Chelsea receive £17.2m in compensation.
Maresca was frequently butting heads with the Blues’ owners in his 18 months in charge and left on 1 January. He has since clarified that he resigned, which he admits “opened a path” for him to move to City. At the time of his departure, Chelsea were fifth and eventually finished 10th, with Xabi Alonso later replacing Liam Rosenior as manager.
In March, Fernandez criticized the club after a heavy defeat by Paris St-Germain in the Champions League. Subsequently, comments regarding a potential move to Madrid led to Chelsea dropping him for two games. Last month, Real Madrid released a statement confirming they would not be signing the midfielder, which left City as the primary suitor.
This Friday deadline is an arbitrary one set by Chelsea to force a decision. Sport’s Chelsea reporter Nizaar Kinsella reports that insiders insist the opportunity will be gone if the deadline passes, and Fernandez will remain at Stamford Bridge. Selling Fernandez would take Chelsea’s total sales for the summer beyond £250m.
The club views the situation as a win-win: they either retain a high-caliber player or bank a significant £120m fee. Whether Chelsea would actually turn down a late, lower offer remains a point of speculation among fans and pundits alike.
Ultimately, the transfer remains a complex puzzle involving player desires, club valuations, and the domino effect of Rodri’s potential exit. As the 17:00 BST deadline approaches, the football world waits to see if City will trigger the move for the Argentine star.
And it is possible he could even sign before Rodri is ready to play again after a minor back procedure.
Fernandez is by nature a defensive midfielder – but Maresca played him further forward many times last season when Cole Palmer was injured – leading to him scoring a career-best 15 goals.
That means there are several places Fernandez could fit into Maresca’s City team.
So that would give Maresca some flexibility when naming a team – and means Anderson and Fernandez would be perfectly capable of playing together.
But clubs do often stick to their deadlines – as Manchester United learned in 2020.
They felt Borussia Dortmund were all talk when they set a deadline of 10 August to sign Jadon Sancho.
‘What a strike!’ – Fernandez equalises for Argentina
Only Alexander Isak from Newcastle to Liverpool last summer for £125m, plus Paris St-Germain’s deals for Neymar and Kylian Mbappe in 2017, cost more.
Anderson currently ranks fifth on the list – and Fernandez himself squeezes into the top 10 for his £107m move to Chelsea from Benfica in February 2023.
A deal would take City’s spending this summer past £250m following the recruitment of youngsters Pierce Charles, Jeremy Monga and Mathys Detourbet and back-up keeper Geronimo Rulli.
And for 2026 it would be approaching £350m after they spent £82.5m on Antoine Semenyo and Marc Guehi in January.
But players on big contracts have left on free transfers this summer including Bernardo Silva and John Stones – plus the sale of James Trafford to Leeds for up to £45m.
City midfielder Tijjani Reijnders is set to join Saudi Pro-League outfit Al-Qadsiah in a £52m deal.
This was already guaranteed to be a summer of huge upheaval at City with legendary boss Pep Guardiola leaving after 10 years in charge.
He led City to 17 major trophies, including six Premier League titles, and changed the way many English teams play football.
Maresca, once his assistant manager at Etihad Stadium, takes his place.
But on the pitch it marks a real end of an era too.
If Rodri goes, it means only three players who started the 2023 Champions League final would still be at City – Ruben Dias, Erling Haaland and Jack Grealish, whose future is uncertain.
Defenders Nathan Ake and Manuel Akanji have both been sold this summer, and Silva and Stones left at their end of their contracts.
Fans flock to see end of Guardiola era Published 25 May
Three weeks ago they had a £64m offer for Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott rejected.
The Blues have also been very busy this summer – and broke their club record to sign attacking midfielder Morgan Rogers for £117m from Aston Villa.
Their spending has already gone past £300m, including £52m for Crystal Palace defender Maxence Lacroix and £47m for Atalanta right-back Marco Palestra.
Chelsea reporter Kinsella explained: “There is no doubt that, because of Maresca, there is bad blood between Chelsea and Manchester City and losing Fernandez to the Sky Blues would add another chapter to the story.
“The Italian had twice attracted interest from City before walking out on Chelsa.
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