It was recently reported that Chelsea are prepared to allow central midfielder Enzo Fernandez to leave the club in the upcoming summer transfer window.
TEAMtalk claimed that Spanish giants Real Madrid are delighted to learn that the Blues are willing to let the Argentina international move on from Stamford Bridge, as they plot a summer swoop for his services.
Enzo-Fernandez-Marc-Cucurella
It was not revealed how much money it would take for the Conference League champions to sanction a deal, though, as they paid £107m to sign him from Benfica in January 2023.
Fernandez has scored eight goals and provided four assists in 21 appearances in all competitions this season, per Sofascore, and losing him in the summer would be a big blow for the Blues.
Chelsea preparing approach to sign Fernandez replacement
However, the club are reportedly looking at a player who could make Liam Rosenior and the supporters forget all about the World Cup-winning midfielder.
According to a report from Spain, Chelsea have identified Paris Saint-Germain star Joao Neves as a potential replacement for Fernandez in the summer transfer window.
The report claims that the Blues are willing to make an immediate splash in the market if they end up cashing in on the Argentine midfielder, and the PSG talent is who they want to take his place in Rosenior's midfield.
Joao Neves
It states that the Premier League giants are preparing a 'forceful' approach to sign the Portugal international in the event that they lose Fernandez in the summer, and a bid of £108m is being considered.
The outlet reveals that Chelsea believe that an offer of £108m would be enough to tempt PSG into selling Neves, but they are aware that the French side are keen to keep hold of him and that negotiations would not be easy.
Why Chelsea would improve their team by signing Joao Neves
As good as Fernandez has been this season for the Blues, selling the Argentine star to sign Neves would result in Chelsea improving their midfield for the 2026/27 campaign and beyond.
Enzo-Fernandez-Chelsea-Reece-James
Both players are central midfielders who can chip in with goals and assists to help their teams in the final third, as the Chelsea star has scored eight goals and the PSG ace has scored six goals in all competitions this term, per Sofascore.
They both have exceptional technical quality and are among the most threatening midfield players in Europe, based on their form over the last 365 days, as shown in the chart below.
[FBCharts] Enzo Fernández Comparisons
This chart, though, also illustrates how much more Neves has to his game than Fernandez as a central midfielder, as he is far more reliable as a passer and offers more to his team out of possession in the middle of the park.
The Portuguese star is a complete midfielder who excels defensively and offensively, as evidenced by those statistics, which is why he can control games for PSG alongside Vitinha and Fabian Ruiz.
Neves' performances in the Champions League, in particular, this season illustrate the gulf in class between him and Fernandez when it comes to all-round midfield play at the top level.
25/26 Champions League Fernandez Neves
Appearances 6 4
Goals 1 1
Assists 1 1
Long pass accuracy 47% 87%
Tackles + interceptions per game 0.7 2.1
Ground duel success rate 44% 78%
Dribbled past per game 1.3x 0.0x
Duels won per game 3.7 5.0
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, the Portuguese midfield maestro offers far more to the team, with brilliant defensive work to go along with his offensive contributions.
The stark difference in the number of times they have been dribbled past tells a big story, because Fernandez's lack of mobility at times causes him to be taken out of the game in transition when players dribble past him, whilst it rarely, if ever, happens with the PSG star.
joao-neves-psg
Neves was once described as a "superstar" in the making by journalist Zach Lowy, and his exceptional performances for PSG in the past 18 months suggest that he has earned that praise.
He, now, could be Chelsea's superstar in midfield if they can agree a deal with the French giants to sign him in the summer, should they sanction a move to Real Madrid for Fernandez.
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The Blues are planning to make an opening offer for a new forward.
If those two deals go down as reported, the Blues could end up better off for it because Neves could be a big upgrade on the Argentine star due to the defensive qualities that he brings to the table.