Chelsea have reached an agreement with Monaco to sign Lamine Camara, a move that hands Manchester City a significant boost in their pursuit of Enzo Fernandez. The Blues had expressed interest in the Senegal international as Fernandez continues to push for a move away from Stamford Bridge.
Fernandez, who won the World Cup in 2022 before being sent off in this summer's final, had hoped to join Real Madrid earlier in the summer, but a dream move to the Bernabeu fell through. Manchester City have maintained their interest, with Pep Guardiola's replacement Enzo Maresca keen to reunite with a player he managed at Chelsea.
Camara arrival paves way for Fernandez exit
Chelsea had set a deadline to sell Fernandez for £120m, which City missed, but talks have continued in the past week despite their £86m move for Ayyoub Bouaddi. Chelsea suggested they would ask for even more than the original £120m if the deadline passed, but a deal is in the best interest of all parties as the Argentine was not included in Sunday's matchday squad against Brighton.
Xabi Alonso has been waiting to sign a new midfielder before sanctioning Fernandez's exit and has made Camara his top target. The 22-year-old has enjoyed two impressive seasons at French side Monaco and earned 49 caps for Senegal, featuring heavily during this summer's World Cup.
Liverpool, Manchester United and Crystal Palace were all heavily linked with Camara at the start of the summer window, but Chelsea are set to win the transfer race. Reports in France say Camara will sign for Chelsea in 'the coming hours' after the Blues agreed a £38m deal with Monaco.
Martinez settles in at Stamford Bridge
Camara's arrival in west London will pave the way for Fernandez's exit, providing Manchester City are willing to meet Chelsea's steep demands. Chelsea are working hard to sign Camara after welcoming World Cup winner Emiliano Martinez to the club from Aston Villa.
Martinez, who has immediately replaced Robert Sanchez as Chelsea's No. 1, made his debut in Sunday's thrilling 4-3 win over Brighton. Discussing Martinez's signing, Alonso said: 'It's great to have him. We saw that even today. Even if we conceded three goals, he had a straight impact and he helped the team really well. We are happy we have him. He is a great personality and a great goalkeeper. His expression and his charisma influence the rest of the team.'
Martinez, meanwhile, said: 'I spoke with Chelsea legends John Terry and Petr Cech. I know how big this club is and what we want to achieve this season. I came here to help. I had an amazing seven years at Aston Villa. I have come here to challenge and to try and win the Premier League. I trained only one day with the team. The guys have treated me really well in the last day or two. I know the talent we have up front. I try to bring that solidity in the back.'
Chelsea boast a perfect record after their opening three games of the season, having beaten Fulham before Brighton in the Premier League and eased past Luton Town in the Carabao Cup.
