Chelsea brace for fresh Man City bid for Enzo Fernandez as window nears close

Chelsea are preparing for Manchester City to submit a fresh bid for Enzo Fernandez before the transfer window closes at 11pm BST on Tuesday, September 1, with the Argentina international’s future at Stamford Bridge increasingly uncertain.

City boss Enzo Maresca, who previously coached Fernandez at Chelsea, is understood to be keen on a reunion with the midfielder. Chelsea set a strict deadline of August 14 for clubs to meet their £120 million valuation, a threshold that has since passed without a formal offer from City — but one last attempt is believed to be forthcoming.

Fernandez’s relationship with the club has been strained since he was dropped last season following reports of flirtation with a move to Real Madrid. His first Premier League appearance of the campaign, as a substitute in Chelsea’s match against Fulham on Monday, was met with heavy booing from the home supporters — a reaction rooted in his involvement in Argentina’s ill-tempered World Cup semi-final victory over England. Chelsea fans, however, responded by singing his name in support.

Chelsea head coach Xabi Alonso acknowledged the uncertainty surrounding Fernandez’s future, telling BBC Radio 5 Live: “In football, I am not surprised by anything. We will see. My wish is that we know what will happen for the future but we will see this week.”

Maresca, for his part, declined to be drawn on the speculation. “In this moment I have to give you the same answer since day one, which will be always the same,” he said. “He is a player from another club and I don’t think it’s correct to talk about other players. I’m not going to say anything about players who are not with us.”

City’s need for central midfield reinforcement has become pressing. The club have already sold Rodri to Barcelona for £65 million and Tijjani Reijnders to Al-Qadsiah for £52 million, freeing up significant funds. Nico Gonzalez is also set to join Newcastle for around £50 million, leaving Elliot Anderson — signed from Nottingham Forest for £116 million — Matteo Kovacic, and Mateus Nunes as the primary specialist options in the engine room. The squad’s depth concerns were underlined when Maresca named six defenders in his starting XI and fielded centre-back Marc Guehi in midfield during a 2-1 win over Bournemouth.