Enzo Fernandez has signaled his desire to join Manchester City, agreeing terms in principle as manager Enzo Maresca pushes to reunite with his former Chelsea midfielder. Maresca, who departed Stamford Bridge under strained circumstances to take charge at City, has made the 25-year-old Argentina international his primary target to reinforce the engine room. While Chelsea initially set a firm deadline of 5:00 PM on Friday, August 14, for an offer to meet their £120 million valuation, Manchester City opted against submitting a formal bid before that cutoff. Nevertheless, City are preparing a fresh push for the midfielder ahead of the September 1 transfer deadline at 23:00 BST.
Chelsea’s stance centers entirely on their non-negotiable £120 million asking price for Fernandez, whom they acquired from Benfica for £107 million in February 2023. Blues insiders maintain that missing the August deadline means Fernandez will remain in West London for the 2026/27 season under new manager Xabi Alonso. However, City hold the firm belief that Chelsea are the ones who need to complete a deal and remain open to a sale on those financial conditions. With Fernandez having explicitly stated yes to the move, the pressure rests on both clubs to finalize acceptable terms before the transfer window shuts.
The tension surrounding Fernandez follows a turbulent period for the World Cup winner at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea left him off their non-negotiable ‘not for sale’ list earlier this summer following friction between the player and the board. In April, the club suspended Fernandez for two games after he publicly criticized hierarchy decisions and flirted with a move away while on international duty. The midfielder’s willingness to depart leaves Chelsea balancing the financial upside of a £120 million sale against the potential disruption to Alonso’s squad structure if a replacement isn’t recruited in time.
Should the transaction materialize at Chelsea’s target threshold, it would cap off an unprecedented period of investment for Manchester City. Maresca’s midfield has already been reshaped with the £116 million arrival of Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest, alongside additions Pierce Charles, Jeremy Monga, Mathys Detourbet, back-up goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli, and ongoing talks for Lille’s Ayyoub Bouaddi. Following winter acquisitions of Antoine Semenyo and Marc Guehi for £82.5 million in January, securing Fernandez would push City’s 2026 expenditure past £350 million to complete an aggressive rebuild at the Etihad Stadium.
