Man City to make offer for £120m-rated Fernandez

Manchester City are preparing to make an opening bid for Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez, who has been ranked at £120m on the transfer market. The Argentina international has served as Chelsea's vice-captain since 2024 and has been identified by manager Enzo Maresca as a priority signing to strengthen City's midfield following several high-profile departures.

Chelsea has become aware of City's interest and set an unofficial deadline for the transfer at a minimum fee of £120m. Despite this, City is anticipated to follow up with another proposal before next week's transfer deadline. The 25-year-old Fernandez could potentially become one of the most expensive signings in Premier League history, behind Liverpool's £125m purchase of Alexander Isak last summer.

Fernandez and Maresca share a positive rapport, as the manager joined City in June after leaving Chelsea in a controversial manner on New Year's Day. This could potentially be the second time City breaks their transfer record in one window, following their £116m signing of Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest. Additionally, City has already experienced four significant midfield exits, including Tijjani Reijnders' sale to Al-Qadsiah for £52m, Rodri's transfer to Barcelona for £65m, Nico Gonzalez's move to Newcastle for £52m, and Bernardo Silva's transfer to Real Madrid earlier in the summer.

The situation at Stamford Bridge has been tumultuous for Fernandez, who had interest from Real Madrid but later faced criticism from the Spanish club. This tension emerged after Chelsea's elimination from the Champions League by PSG in March, after which Fernandez became increasingly vocal about his dissatisfaction with the club.

Xabi Alonso, the new Chelsea manager, mentioned in July about a private conversation he had with Fernandez, but did not disclose the specifics of the dialogue. Chelsea's previous record sale was Eden Hazard's move to Real Madrid in 2019, potentially worth around £150m after performance-related add-ons.