Written with the help of artificial-intelligence tools and checked by automated controls.
Manchester City have made a move for Enzo Fernandez. The Skyblues have sent Chelsea an offer of €120 million for the 25-year-old Argentine midfielder, at the request of their coach Enzo Maresca. The Blues, who are demanding more, saw their ultimatum of Friday, August 14 expire without a response from Manchester. The saga continues.
A €120 million offensive wanted by Maresca
After Pep Guardiola's departure, Enzo Maresca's arrival on the Manchester bench has reshuffled the cards.
After Pep Guardiola's departure, Enzo Maresca's arrival on the Manchester bench has reshuffled the cards. The Italian, who coached Chelsea before joining Manchester, has made his former midfielder his priority to strengthen the Citizens' midfield. According to several English and Italian media outlets, City formalized this interest by submitting an offer of €120 million, an amount close to what Chelsea invested to snatch the player from Benfica in January 2023.
Enzo Fernandez, world champion in 2022 with Argentina, knows Maresca's methods perfectly having played under him at Stamford Bridge. This relationship is the Skyblues' main argument, as they hope to convince a player whose future in London has become complicated in recent months, with talks over a contract extension having stalled.
Chelsea toughens its stance
The London management did not yield to the first offer. Convinced that their Argentine international is worth more than the €120 million proposed, Chelsea set a clear condition: a response from Manchester City before Friday at 5 PM UK time. After this deadline, the terms and conditions of the negotiation would be withdrawn.
According to the British press, City did not respond in time, prompting the Blues to withdraw their negotiation proposal. The gesture is firm, but the door is not locked. Chelsea remains open to a return from Manchester with a revised, higher offer before the transfer window closes at the end of August.
The profile of a potential starter
A regular Argentine international, Fernandez has established himself as one of the most complete midfielders in the Premier League since his arrival at Chelsea. His versatility, capable of playing as a defensive midfielder or a box-to-box midfielder, and his passing quality make him an ideal candidate for Maresca's project, who built part of his football on midfield control at Stamford Bridge.
It is this technical chemistry that makes the case so sensitive for Chelsea. Selling a player of this caliber to a direct competitor, for a sum deemed just below his real value, would be a risky gamble just days before the market closes.
A transitional transfer window in Manchester
This hesitation waltz illustrates a turbulent summer at the Etihad. After Guardiola's departure, the Skyblues must deal with a squad in transition, retaining their key players while strengthening a rebuilding collective. Fernandez would represent a key piece of this new cycle, capable of bringing the creativity and work rate that Maresca seeks at the heart of the game.
It remains to be seen whether City will come back with a higher proposal in the coming days. Every hour now counts, and Chelsea still holds the upper hand, with a player under contract, courted, and whose value has not changed. The final sprint of the English transfer window promises to be tense.