Chelsea fight back over Enzo Fernandez as Man City make their move

Updated: 13 Aug 2026 06:56 BST | 4 min read

Enzo Fernandez, Xabi Alonso, Chelsea — © IMAGO

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Chelsea have sought to take control of Enzo Fernandez’s future by providing Manchester City with a deadline by which to make an offer for the midfielder.

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Enzo, who FootballTransfers revealed has already agreed personal terms with City, has been publicly flirting with a move away from Chelsea for much of 2026. While he previously seemed to be pushing for a switch to Real Madrid, Los Blancos have dropped their interest and it is now the Manchester side who are eyeing him as a replacement for Rodri.

The Blues, though, have made a string of demands that their Premier League rivals must match if they are to complete an unlikely transfer.

Current ETV

Enzo Fernández

M, DM (C)

Chelsea

Enzo Fernández

M, DM (C)

Chelsea

ETV Range

€83.3M - €101.8M

Enzo Fernandez: Chelsea make Man City demands

While Chelsea have put an asking price of £120 million (€140m) on the head of Enzo Fernandez, according to The Athletic, the real aspect of their negotiation that threatens to squeeze City out of a deal is how swiftly they want the wheels of a transfer put in official motion.

It claims that the Blues have told Enzo Maresca’s side that an official bid for the player must have been lodged by 5pm on 14 August for any deal to be considered.

Chelsea have reportedly told both City and Enzo Fernandez’s representatives of this development, while the player’s agent has been aware of the price on his head since May.

It is little surprise the negotiations between these clubs have grown tense, particularly with time running out in the transfer window.

© IMAGO - Enzo Maresca and Enzo Fernandez, Chelsea

The relationship between the clubs has been strained since it emerged that City had approached Maresca about taking charge while he was Chelsea manager. This prompted his premature exit from the London side and meant that relations deteriorated at boardroom level.

Equally, the Italian has a strong relationship with Enzo and is one of the reasons that the 2022 World Cup winner is eager to move to the Etihad club.

Chelsea want the Enzo issue put to bed

This transfer appears to have a greater importance to Chelsea than it does for City.

The Blues do not want to negotiate such an important sale in the closing weeks of the window and have hence put a deadline on City’s approach, giving them time to find a replacement.

Man City, on the other hand, appear to be close to completing a deal for Lille midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi, which is another hard-negotiated transfer that could well exceed €100m should it be pushed through to conclusion.

Indeed, with the Etihad club spending freely this summer, it would seem to indicate that they have no fears about a significant punishment for the 115 charges levelled against them by the Premier League.

City have completed five major signings this summer, including €135m on Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest and deals that have seen them sign promising young wingers Mathys Detourbet and Jeremy Monga from Troyes and Leicester respectively for a combined fee of over €35m.