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Chelsea told Real Madrid pursuit of Enzo Fernandez rests on key €100m decision
22 Jun 2026 00:13 CDT |
3 min read
News
Real Madrid will need to offload one of Federico Valverde or Aurelien Tchouameni if they are to fund a €120million (£104m) bid for Chelsea star Enzo Fernandez, according to reports in Spain.
Fernandez has established himself as one of the Premier League’s best midfielders since joining the Blues from Benfica for a then-British record fee of €121m (£106.8m) in February 2023.
The 25-year-old has since made 169 appearances in all competitions for Chelsea, scoring 31 goals and winning the UEFA Conference League and FIFA Club World Cup double in 2025.
STATS
Enzo Fernández
M, DM (C)
Chelsea
Enzo Fernández
M, DM (C)
Chelsea
However, Fernandez is being strongly linked with a summer switch to the La Liga giants after revealing he “would really like to live in Madrid” when speaking to YouTube channel Avirales in March.
He was subsequently handed an internal two-match ban by Chelsea, with then-manager Liam Rosenior saying the midfielder had “crossed a line” with the comments he made.
But as speculation continues to swirl regarding Fernandez’s future at Chelsea, Catalan publication El Nacional claims Real remain keen to sign him in the summer transfer window.
The same outlet understands new Real boss Jose Mourinho feels the squad is currently lacking a midfielder who is capable of dictating the tempo of a game - a void he believes Fernandez would be able to fix.
However, El Nacional believes Real would need to sell either Valverde or Tchouameni before making a move for Fernandez, with both players reportedly holding a valuation of around €100m (£86m).
The same publication adds Uruguay international Valverde has strong interest from Premier League clubs, while BBC Sport understands France star Tchouameni has been monitored by Manchester United.
Valverde and Tchouameni involved in altercation in May
There has been speculation surrounding Valverde and Tchouameni’s futures at Real after they were involved in an altercation in May, with the pair each receiving €500,000 (£435,000) fines from the club.
Valverde subsequently went to hospital with a head injury following the row with Tchouameni, though the 27-year-old denied they “came to blows” and said he accidentally hit a table.
Real have already been busy in the summer transfer window, with Marc Cucurella arriving from Chelsea in a €60m (£51.8m) deal while Bernardo Silva and Ibrahima Konate are set to join on free transfers following the expiration of their contracts with Manchester City and Liverpool respectively.
Los Blancos are also expected to sign Netherlands international Denzel Dumfries from Serie A giants Inter Milan, though neither club has officially confirmed the completion of the transfer.
