Chelsea give Man City Friday deadline to match £120m Enzo Fernandez valuation

Chelsea have set a Friday deadline of 5pm BST for any club to meet their £120million valuation of Enzo Fernandez, with Manchester City understood to be the only realistic bidder left in the race for the Argentina midfielder.

Fernandez’s future has been the subject of speculation since March, when his agent Javier Pastore said publicly that his client felt underpaid and wanted to leave Stamford Bridge. That came at the end of a troubled campaign in which Chelsea finished tenth in the Premier League and lost the FA Cup final to Manchester City.

Madrid out, City circling

Real Madrid, once seen as the likeliest destination, have since indicated they have no intention of pursuing a deal for the 25-year-old. That leaves Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City as the only club known to retain an interest, though it remains unclear whether they are prepared to meet Chelsea’s asking price.

City are also in talks with Lille over Ayoub Bouaddi, the highly rated Moroccan midfielder, and could raise funds through the departure of Rodri, who has attracted interest from Barcelona. The Catalan club are reported to have submitted an offer of around €60m for the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner, though City are believed to want more.

Chelsea signed Fernandez from Benfica in January 2023 for a fee in the region of £107million, then a British transfer record. The Friday cut-off is intended to draw a line under months of uncertainty and allow Xabi Alonso to plan his squad with clarity before the new season begins.

Alonso keen to keep him involved

Alonso, appointed as Chelsea’s new head coach over the summer, has spoken to Fernandez about his situation but has not disclosed the details of their conversation. The club are understood to have made clear they are willing to fully reintegrate the midfielder into the squad and continue building around him should no acceptable offer materialise.

Fernandez returned to full training with Chelsea this week for the first time under Alonso, having been given the chance to prove his future may still lie in west London. Last season he scored 15 goals and provided seven assists in 54 appearances for the club.

He then featured for Argentina at the World Cup, where he was sent off as his country lost 1-0 to Spain in the final. Chelsea’s stance suggests they are prepared to keep him rather than sanction a sale below their valuation, with the Friday deadline effectively forcing City’s hand.

Read more: Liverpool push for Barcola as Arsenal shop Lewis-Skelly, City chase Bouaddi

Sources

• BBC Sport
• Evening Standard
• Sky Sports

This is an independent report written from the facts across the sources named above.