Man City seal £125m Enzo Fernandez signing after Chelsea drop asking price by £10m

Manchester City secured a joint British record £125m signing of Enzo Fernandez on transfer deadline day, with the deal only coming together after Chelsea dropped their original £135m asking price by £10m in the final hours of the window.

At the start of deadline week the move appeared dead, with City prepared to walk away rather than meet Chelsea’s valuation. But once the asking price fell, City moved quickly, with negotiations not concluded until within five hours of the window closing.

Chairman Khaldoon Al-Mubarak and director of football Hugo Viana are said to be delighted with what has been described internally as a “brilliant” transfer window — one they believe has given new manager Enzo Maresca a squad capable of winning back the Premier League title from Arsenal.

Maresca, who worked with Fernandez at Chelsea, had made the midfielder a priority target, citing his proven pedigree at the highest level. The 25-year-old is expected to add goals and assists from midfield while bringing experience to a relatively young squad.

The groundwork for the rebuild began in January, when centre-back Marc Guehi and winger Antoine Semenyo arrived at the Etihad ahead of schedule. Both had been earmarked as summer targets, but City moved early once it became clear the deals were available six months sooner.

Elliott Anderson has been signed to fill the void left by Bernardo Silva’s departure, while young defender Vitor Reis is expected to have a breakthrough season under Maresca.

Perhaps the most eye-catching element of the window has been the arrival of 18-year-old midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi from Lille. The teenage sensation is said to have made an immediate impression in training, and while Maresca intends to manage his development carefully given his age, sources indicate the manager plans to give him more playing time than many observers expect.

City had been monitoring Bouaddi before the World Cup, but his performances on the international stage in North America accelerated the club’s decision to move.

With Maresca replacing Pep Guardiola after his departure, the club views the overall changes as a “transformation” rather than a mere rebuild — and believes the squad is now significantly stronger than it was at the start of Guardiola’s final season in charge.