Will Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez end up joining Manchester City?
What's the story
Manchester City are considering a late bid for Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez ahead of the transfer deadline. The interest comes even after Chelsea's August 14 deadline for bids had passed. Chelsea had signed Fernandez in 2023 for £107 million, and they now value him at £120 million. Chelsea shelled out a British-record £117m on Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa this summer and it could take more than that for Enzo Maresca's side to sign Fernandez. Here's more.
Team changes
City's midfield overhaul this season
City are rebuilding their midfield after selling Rodri to Barcelona for £65.4m and Tijjani Reijnders to Saudi Pro League club Al-Qadsiah for £51 million.
They also released Bernardo Silva, who ended up joining Real Madrid.
Meanwhile, Nico Gonzalez is set for a move to Newcastle United for £50m.
Despite these departures, City have made some high-profile signings including Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest for £116m and Lille's Ayyoub Bouaddi on Wednesday for a whopping £81.3m with an additional £4.3m in add-ons.
Chelsea
Fernandez owns 170 appearances for Chelsea
Fernandez, who has six years left on his contract with Chelsea, was suspended for two matches toward the end of last season after hinting at a possible exit while on international duty.
This came amid interest from Real Madrid, who later denied any move for him in early July.
Fernandez has made 170 appearances for Chelsea across all competitions, netting 31 goals.
He made 54 appearances last season and scored 15 times.
He has won two trophies with Chelsea.
Future prospects
Alonso confirms Fernandez will play against Luton
On Wednesday, Chelsea head coach Xabi Alonso has confirmed that Fernandez will be involved against Luton in the Carabao Cup. He said, "Yes, we expect that he's involved. He's trained. He's training really well."
"We want to have the best team possible. We know his qualities, he has shown it and we have to wait, but we will think about tomorrow and let's see how things develop," he added.
Do you know?
City could break their transfer record twice this summer
If Fernandez joins City, it will be the second time the club breaks its transfer record in the same window having paid £116m to recruit Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest. Meanwhile, he could also become the 3rd player to join City for £100m-plus in their transfer history.
Information
Fernandez is keen to join City
Earlier, Fabrizio Romano reported that Fernandez gave his green light to City as he's open to move and re-join manager Maresca. City are expected to make a bid soon and it will be up to Chelsea. If Chelsea allow Fernandez to leave, they themselves would need assurance of getting in a midfielder with interest in Bournemouth's Alex Scott.