Enzo Fernandez joins Manchester City in joint-British-record £125m deal from Chelsea

Manchester City have equalled the British transfer record by signing Enzo Fernandez from Chelsea for £125m, with the Argentina midfielder penning a five-year contract at the Etihad Stadium on deadline day.

The deal takes City’s summer spending to approximately £435m, more than £325m of which has been directed at midfielders. Fernandez joins Alexander Isak as the joint most expensive signing in Premier League history, arriving two years after Chelsea paid £107m to bring him from Benfica in January 2023.

Fernandez had been the subject of City’s pursuit throughout the summer window, but the club waited until the final day before submitting a bid. Chelsea had attempted to set an earlier deadline of 5 August for offers, and also explored a replacement in Lamine Camara from Monaco — a £47m move that collapsed when the Ligue 1 club withdrew from negotiations.

The 25-year-old had sat out Chelsea’s last two matches while seeking a transfer, having been booed by supporters on both sides following an incident earlier in the summer. His last start came in the World Cup final, where he was sent off.

“Manchester City are the most successful club in England in recent times,” Fernandez said. “I could not be happier to be here, and I am ready for the challenge of helping City continue winning trophies. Anyone who’s worked with me will know how hard I train every single day and how much I put into matches. I give absolutely everything and I can promise Manchester City that will continue now I’m here.”

Fernandez previously worked under new City manager Enzo Maresca at Chelsea, where the pair won the Club World Cup together. He now joins a rebuilt midfield that also includes £116m signing Elliot Anderson and £85m recruit Ayyoub Bouaddi, following the departures of Bernardo Silva, Rodri, Nico Gonzalez, and Tijjani Reijnders.

City director of football Hugo Viana said: “He is a complete midfielder: technically gifted, hardworking, tenacious and a goalscorer. To have played in two World Cup finals and won major trophies in multiple countries at just 25 says everything you need to know about his mentality, professionalism and technical quality.”

Fernandez was not City’s only deadline-day arrival, with Iliman Ndiaye also joining from Everton for £60m earlier in the day.