Liverpool block £80m Gakpo sale to City, who now chase Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez

Manchester City’s late move for Liverpool winger Cody Gakpo has been shut down, with Liverpool rejecting City’s offer of £75m plus £5m in add-ons for the Dutch international. City will now prioritise a deal for Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez ahead of the transfer deadline on Tuesday at 11pm.

Gakpo, 27, had reportedly been keen on a move to the Etihad Stadium, and City made a late approach after Bradley Barcola’s arrival at Anfield appeared to signal the Dutchman’s exit. Liverpool, however, moved to block the transfer, leaving City to pivot to their third midfield target of the summer window.

The focus now falls on Fernandez, 27, who has been absent from Chelsea’s last two Premier League matchday squads. The Argentine made a substitute appearance in Chelsea’s opening fixture against Fulham but has not featured since, fuelling speculation over his future at Stamford Bridge.

City have already overhauled their midfield this summer following the departures of Rodri to Barcelona, Tijjani Reijnders and Nico Gonzalez to Newcastle United, and Bernardo Silva, who left upon the expiry of his contract. Ayyoub Bouaddi and Elliot Anderson have already arrived at the Etihad as part of that rebuild, with Fernandez identified as the third addition.

Links between Fernandez and Real Madrid circulated earlier in the summer, though Los Blancos subsequently issued a statement distancing themselves from a move. Chelsea had set an internal deadline of August 14 for any deal, which City failed to meet, but the door has not been fully closed.

Chelsea head coach Xabi Alonso acknowledged the uncertainty around Fernandez’s situation ahead of the deadline. “We’ll see,” Alonso said. “We want the best for the team and that’s why we made the decision against Luton and today, and anything that happens before Tuesday evening, we need to be aware of what is going to develop. We are not sure — we are preparing for all the scenarios — but I am sure that whatever happens from Wednesday we will have a good enough squad to compete in all the Premier League games.”

With the window closing on Tuesday evening, City face a tight turnaround to finalise a deal for the former Benfica man.