Fernandez, Ndiaye and Grealish: what Manchester City must resolve before the transfer deadline

Manchester City entered transfer deadline day with several major deals still unfinished, needing to replace departed midfielders Rodri, Nico Gonzalez and Tijjani Reijnders before the 11pm cut-off.

Enzo Fernandez remains the headline target. City were in talks with Chelsea over the weekend, and any agreed fee would almost certainly surpass the £116 million they paid for Elliot Anderson earlier in the summer. Chelsea are understood to want a replacement in place before sanctioning Fernandez’s exit, making a swift breakthrough essential with the deadline closing in. City have maintained confidence throughout that they will land the Argentina international.

Manu Kone is another midfield option City are pursuing, but even completing both the Fernandez and Kone deals would still leave them one midfielder short of their stated summer target. Crystal Palace have insisted Adam Wharton is not for sale, though City could yet test that position. Alexis Mac Allister, mooted as a possibility earlier in the window, has been ruled out by his father, who confirmed the Liverpool midfielder will not be leaving Anfield.

In attack, City have reportedly agreed a package worth up to £65 million with Everton for Iliman Ndiaye, who is seen as the man to fill the void left by Omar Marmoush’s departure. City had also pursued Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo for that role, but walked away after a bid totalling £80 million was rejected — ending what would have been a rare direct transfer between the two rivals.

Savinho’s exit to Tottenham has been partially addressed by the signing of Allan Elias from Palmeiras in a deal worth up to £34.2 million, while Ayyoub Bouaddi’s arrival last week was considered supplementary rather than a direct replacement for any outgoing player.

Jack Grealish’s situation adds further intrigue. The England winger had been mooted as a potential makeweight in a deal for Ndiaye, and manager Enzo Maresca did little to dispel exit rumours after Friday’s win over Crystal Palace, saying: “We’ll see what happens in the next 48-72 hours.” Whether Grealish remains at the Etihad beyond today’s deadline is still unclear.

City’s summer has been shaped by an unusually high volume of outgoings, and the club’s ability to complete their recruitment targets in the final hours will go a long way to determining how competitive Maresca’s squad is across four competitions this season.