Chelsea target Arsenal, Spurs and Forest midfielders as Man City close in on Enzo Fernandez

Chelsea are scrambling to identify a midfield replacement for Enzo Fernandez on transfer deadline day, with Manchester City pushing to sign the Argentina international before Tuesday’s 11pm cut-off. Should the deal go through, Fernandez would become the first player to command a transfer fee of more than £100 million on two separate occasions.

The Blues’ primary targets have been Monaco midfielder Lamine Camara and Roma’s Manu Kone, but progress on both fronts has stalled. A £38.5 million bid for Camara was rejected by the Ligue 1 club, while Roma head coach Gian Piero Gasperini has made clear he does not want Kone to leave.

With those avenues proving difficult, Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso has three additional names on the shortlist — all based in England. According to talkSPORT, Arsenal’s Martin Zubimendi, Tottenham’s Lucas Bergvall and Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White are all under consideration.

Zubimendi’s availability looks doubtful. Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta recently insisted the Spanish midfielder is not for sale. “No, he’s a really important player for us,” Arteta said. “Zubi without a doubt was one of the best players for Arsenal last season. Without him we would never have got into the position we got in the last few weeks.”

Bergvall had been linked with a departure from Spurs earlier in the window, but Tottenham head coach Roberto De Zerbi confirmed last week that the Swedish midfielder would be staying. “Lucas Bergvall, 100 per cent,” De Zerbi said when asked whether his player wanted to remain in north London. “He’s a top player, a top potential player. I think now he wants to stay and we have no problem.”

Gibbs-White, who is highly regarded at Stamford Bridge, came close to leaving Nottingham Forest last summer before a proposed move to Tottenham collapsed after Forest threatened legal action over the approach. The England midfielder subsequently signed a new contract at the City Ground, making any fresh pursuit complicated.

With the deadline approaching and their preferred options either unavailable or unwilling to move, Chelsea face a race against time to secure a signing if Fernandez does complete his move to the Etihad.