Real Madrid are ready to raid Chelsea for one of their best players, according to a report in Spain, as Los Blancos have spotted a window of opportunity to prise the star away from Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea and Real Madrid are two of the biggest clubs in the world, and both were very active in the summer transfer window. While Madrid signed Dean Huijsen and Trent Alexander-Arnold among others, Joao Pedro, Jamie Gittens, Liam Delap and Alejandro Garnacho were among the major arrivals at Chelsea.
Under manager Enzo Maresca, Chelsea won the Conference League last season and the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup in the summer.
Chelsea are aiming to beat the likes of Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City to the Premier League title this season, but a new cloud has now come over them.
The Football Association (FA) has charged Chelsea with 74 alleged rule breaches related to payments to agents between 2009 and 2022.
According to BBC Sport, Chelsea could be sanctioned with a fine, transfer embargo or points deduction.
According to Defensa Central, the new problem for Chelsea is a ‘miracle’ for Real Madrid in their long-term quest to sign Enzo Fernandez.
According to the Real Madrid-centric news outlet, Madrid had been monitoring Fernandez before he joined Chelsea from Benfica in January 2023 for €121million (£105m, $142m).
Madrid have continued to keep tabs on the 24-year-old midfielder, who won the 2022 FIFA World Cup and the 2024 Copa America with Argentina.
While it was nothing but ‘a pipe dream’ for Real Madrid to sign Fernandez until now, the new charges at Chelsea have opened the door for Los Blancos, who plan to raid the Blues with ‘guns blazing’ if the Premier League club are handed a ‘severe’ sanction.
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Could Chelsea sell Enzo Fernandez to Real Madrid?
According to The London Evening Standard, Chelsea are expecting a fine and do not think that there will be a sporting sanction against them.
Chelsea have cooperated in the matter, with the issues being self-reported by the Todd Boehly-Clearlake consortium after completing their takeover of the club in 2022.
The Blues will argue that the charges relate to a time when the club were under different ownership.
Chelsea have until September 19 to respond to the charges, with an independent regulatory commission deciding on a punishment.
There are no major or concrete talks at the moment that Chelsea will be given a brutal punishment.
It may not come to Chelsea having to sell players such as Fernandez in the upcoming transfer windows.
Fernandez has been linked with Real Madrid before, with Spanish publication Sport reporting in July that the Chelsea star is among the ‘Galacticos’ that Los Blancos have their eyes on.
That followed TEAMtalk’s transfer correspondent, Fraser Fletcher, reporting on May 23 that Real Madrid have identified Fernandez as a key target over the next couple of transfer windows.
Defensa Central has backed that claim now, reporting that Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso wanted to sign a new midfielder in the summer transfer window.
Madrid decided against it, as Los Blancos already have enough midfield players on their books.
With Chelsea aiming to win the Premier League and the Champions League this season, it is highly unlikely that they will sell Fernandez – or any other important first-team regulars, for that matter – in January.
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