Chelsea have imposed a 5pm BST Friday (August 14) deadline for bids for Enzo Fernandez, with the club's asking price set at £120 million. As of 5pm on August 14, 24 hours before the deadline, Chelsea had received no formal offers for the Argentina international.
Man City's Stance
Enzo Maresca, the former Chelsea head coach now at Manchester City, said he does not expect his club to complete any transfer business on Friday. "Not today, to be honest. I don't think we're going to do something today," Maresca told reporters in Friday morning's pre-Arsenal press conference. He was reported to have been smiling while delivering the response.
Reports in Italy, via Gianluca Di Marzio, suggest Man City's offer of £120 million for Fernandez is 'ready', but it remains unclear whether it will be submitted before the deadline. Standard Sport reported on Thursday that claims of City making a £102.5m bid and communicating it to Chelsea were inaccurate.
Chelsea's Position
Chelsea have made clear they will not sanction Fernandez's sale until summer 2027 at the earliest if Friday's deadline passes without formal offers. This means a sale would not be considered in the January transfer window, with the club not open to selling the midfielder until next summer at the earliest. It is unclear whether Chelsea would soften their stance if lower bids were made or offers lodged after the deadline.
Fernandez has flirted with leaving Chelsea since the turn of the year, with comments about dreaming of living in Madrid leading to punishment for the FA Cup quarter-final tie against Port Vale in April. However, Real Madrid issued a statement confirming they had no intention of pursuing the midfielder this summer, leaving Man City as the only exit route. A move to City would reunite the 25-year-old with Maresca, though time is running out for a deal.
