Chelsea have been handed a fresh setback in their pursuit of Alex Scott as Bournemouth head coach Marco Rose insisted he is not for sale.
Enzo Fernandez’s future with the west London club remains up in the air, though it seems increasingly likely that he will be sold before Tuesday’s transfer deadline. Manchester City are expected to lodge a bid in excess of £100m for the player’s services in the coming days as they look to reunite him with Enzo Maresca, who named him captain when he was in charge of Chelsea.
The fact Fernandez was left out of the matchday squad for Thursday night’s Carabao Cup meeting with Luton Town was the strongest indication yet that he might be sold.
Long-standing interest in Scott
Chelsea hold a long-standing interest in signing Bournemouth’s Scott and saw a bid rejected for him earlier this summer. The Blues see Scott, who has rejected Bournemouth’s offers of a new contract, as an ideal replacement for Fernandez and are expected to accelerate their interest in him should the Argentine depart.
Whether they can get a deal over the line remains to be seen, as Bournemouth remain adamant the player will not be sold. The Cherries’ new head coach Rose has now made clear he is planning for the new season with Scott as part of his squad.
Rose: 'I am sure'
“I’m not just confident, I’m sure (Scott will stay),” he said on Thursday. “Not just quite sure, I am sure.”
Asked if he was “100 per cent sure”, Rose doubled down: “I mean, is there 120 per cent?
“You know, it is what it is. We know this business. He played a top season, but I think even Alex knows what he learned from this club, what he got from this club.
“We show we know what we get from him, so we support him to play another brilliant season. He’s keen to play another brilliant season.
“He’s still young enough to (take) big steps because, to be honest, I see no ceiling in his capabilities.”
The uncertainty surrounding Chelsea’s midfield may well continue into the late stages of the transfer window, which closes at 11pm BST on Tuesday, September 2.
