Manchester City have been told they need to submit a bid for Enzo Fernandez by 5pm on Friday - otherwise Chelsea will refuse to do business.
City are among those keen on the Argentine midfielder, who has a good relationship with new boss Enzo Maresca, but the Blues want to avoid a saga that drags on until the end of the transfer window. The west Londoners want to ensure they know whether their player is sticking around, or could feasibly leave.
Deadline set to avoid saga
They want new manager Xabi Alonso and his players to be able to focus on the new season ahead and Sky Sports reports that Chelsea insist any buyers have had two months to begin negotiations for Fernandez.
Chelsea value Fernandez at £120m - meaning any move from City would need them to break their own transfer record for the second time this summer - and he has six years left on his contract.
City's interest linked to Rodri future
City's interest in Fernandez is closely linked to the future or Rodri. The Spanish World Cup winner has been at the Etihad since 2019 but Barcelona are keen and have seen a £40m bid rejected. The midfielder is keen to return home before his career is over and, should that happen this summer, City will need a replacement.
They have already landed Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest for £116m and remain in talks with Lille for Morocco midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi, who enjoyed a stellar World Cup.
Past controversy and strained relations
Fernandez was dropped by Chelsea for two games in April after he admitted he would welcome living in Madrid, but Real Madrid themselves have moved to distance themselves from a move this summer. The player and his agent would later apologised for those comments.
Relations with City and Chelsea have been stressed in recent months, owing largely to Maresca's move to Manchester. He admitted that he'd held talks with his new employers whilst he was still in charge at the Blues as the Etihad hierarchy looked to life beyond Pep Guardiola.
That saw Chelsea make the decision to axe Maresca in January and City eventually had to pay Chelsea £17m in compensation to appoint Maresca this summer.
