Fernandez’s Future at Chelsea
Manchester City reportedly maintain an interest in Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez, even after missing a recent deadline set by Chelsea for bids. The London club had agreed with Fernandez’s agent, Javier Pastore, in late May that the player could depart for £120m, with a deadline of 14 August for any formal offers. With no bids received by this date, Chelsea informed Fernandez’s representatives that he was not available for sale in the current transfer window.
However, reports suggest that the situation is not entirely resolved. City, under the management of Fernandez’s former Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca, are still keen on signing the 25-year-old and believe Chelsea may still be open to a deal. This mirrors a situation from the previous summer involving Alexander Isak, where Newcastle United initially stated he was not for sale before his eventual move to Liverpool.
Fernandez’s relationship with Chelsea fans has also been a point of discussion. During a 3-1 friendly victory against Real Sociedad on Saturday, he received a mixed reaction from the crowd, with some audible jeers alongside cheers when he entered the match. Chelsea remains confident in reintegrating the midfielder into the squad, demonstrating this by giving him the captain’s armband when he replaced Reece James last weekend.
City’s Midfield Reinforcements
Manchester City are actively looking to strengthen their midfield. This comes after Rodri agreed to a move to Barcelona and Bernardo Silva departed following the expiration of his contract. City are also in advanced discussions for a reported £85m deal for Morocco midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi from Lille.
The club has already made several acquisitions, including midfielder Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest for a club-record £116m, winger Jeremy Monga from Leicester City for £12.5m, and goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli from Marseille for £1.7m. Should both Fernandez and Bouaddi join, Maresca’s total spending could exceed £330m.
A portion of this expenditure is expected to be offset by player sales. Rodri’s move to Barcelona is set to be for £65.4m, while James Trafford has also been sold. The potential departures of Tijjani Reijnders, who is reportedly joining Al Qadsiah for £51m, and Savinho, along with the exits of Silva, John Stones, and Nathan Ake, are also contributing to managing the wage bill.
Chelsea’s Midfield Depth and Transfer Strategy
Chelsea’s manager, Xabi Alonso, has employed a 3-4-2-1 system during pre-season, a formation similar to the one he used to guide Bayer Leverkusen to a league and cup double in 2024. In a recent match at Stamford Bridge, Moises Caicedo and James formed the midfield pair, with Jordan Henderson sidelined due to injury. Romeo Lavia came on as a substitute, while Valentin Barco and Dario Essugo remained unused.
The club is considered to have significant depth in midfield, particularly as they are not participating in European football this season. This suggests they could manage numerically even if Fernandez were to leave without signing a direct replacement. There is also an understanding within the club that a number of players need to be moved on before the transfer window closes.
Despite this, Chelsea made a £64m bid for Bournemouth’s Alex Scott earlier in the summer and were reportedly offered Arsenal midfielder Myles Lewis-Skelly. They have also been linked with Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton and Monaco’s Lamine Camara. Bournemouth has stated Scott is not for sale, and Lewis-Skelly is reportedly keen to remain at Arsenal after setting up the first goal in the Community Shield victory over City.
The uncertainty surrounding Fernandez’s future is expected to be a significant theme during the final two weeks of the transfer window, which closes on September 1.
Source: bbc.co.uk