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Manchester City have struck a £125million deadline-day deal to secure Enzo Fernandez from Chelsea, with Enzo Maresca finally set to land his top target from his former employers.
It equals the British transfer record which was paid to Newcastle by Liverpool for Alexander Isak last summer, and is a fixed fee for the 25-year-old Argentinian with no add-ons involved.
While Chelsea reached an agreement which took their incomings towards the £500m mark for the summer – with club sources pointing out that is also a British record – they arguably caved to City by strengthening the squad of a rival and weakening their own with no replacement at the ready.
With City leaving it until the final two days of the window to open club-to-club talks, it left Chelsea with limited time to secure their own signing.
No breakthrough had been found for Roma’s Manu Kone and Monaco’s Lamine Camara at the time of accepting City’s £125m bid on Tuesday afternoon. Chelsea saw two offers worth £38.5m and £42.9m turned down for Camara earlier in the day.
Chelsea likewise bid for Alex Scott previously, but Bournemouth refused to sell this summer. There was also admiration for Arsenal’s Martin Zubimendi and Crystal Palace's Adam Wharton.
Manchester City have reached an agreement with Chelsea for the signing of Enzo Fernandez
Central to Chelsea agreeing to a deal with City was Fernandez’s relationship with Maresca with the two wanting to work together again.
Fernandez was known to have been keen to leave, having flirted with that idea before the last season had even finished. Those inside Stamford Bridge say they intend to reassess midfield targets and intend on revisiting the issue in January and next summer.
With no Fernandez – and with Dario Essugo joining Strasbourg on loan – Chelsea’s senior midfield options are Moises Caicedo, Reece James, Romeo Lavia, Valentin Barco and Jordan Henderson.
Malo Gusto can also be used centrally if required. While Fernandez developed a helpful habit of scoring important goals, Xabi Alonso has an impressive attack, having signed Morgan Rogers for £117m this summer to form a front three with Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro.
Chelsea fans may be glad that what turned into an exhausting saga is coming to an end at least.
Chelsea initially attempted to accelerate a conclusion by creating their own deadline for bids by Friday August 14 at 5pm.
That was for a £120m transfer and the terms were communicated to their Premier League counterparts via Fernandez’s camp, led by Javier Pastore. Chelsea’s hope was that it would give them ample time to replace their 2022 World Cup-winning midfielder.
However, City did not play along with Chelsea’s deadline. No offer was submitted, and Blues insiders claimed they ‘expected’ Fernandez to stay with them for the entirety of 2026-27.
He was even handed the captain’s armband when he appeared as a substitute in their final friendly at home to Real Sociedad, receiving a mixed reception inside Stamford Bridge.
Fernandez appeared in their Premier League opener at Fulham as a substitute. While the home fans inside Craven Cottage booed him after Argentina’s behaviour at the World Cup, the away end welcomed him warmly, with those Chelsea supporters even chanting his name.
Fernandez continued to train with his team-mates and in Alonso’s main squad rather than the second group including Liam Delap and Nicolas Jackson, but then disappeared.
Following talks with Alonso, he was not involved in their Carabao Cup win over Luton, or in their Premier League victory against Brighton. Alonso insisted publicly it was his decision after speaking with the player, but did add he selected a squad that had the ‘desire to play’.
Maresca had a good relationship with Fernandez at Chelsea, where he often wore the captain’s armband in the absence of James. Maresca also handed him that armband barely a month after the Argentinian was accused of singing a racist song following his country’s 2024 Copa America triumph. That was in Chelsea’s Premier League opener at home to City.
When Maresca eventually exited Chelsea after speaking with City about succeeding Pep Guardiola, Fernandez was among those who spoke up, suggesting it ‘hurt’ the team. The Blues ended up finishing 10th in that season, leaving them with no European football under Alonso for this term.
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