Chelsea star Enzo Fernandez has left the door open for a sensational departure in the summer.
The World Cup winner played an hour of the Blues' 3-0 loss at home to Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday, a result that consigned the west London outfit to an embarrassing 8-2 defeat on aggregate in their Champions League round of 16 tie.
Enzo Fernandez dribbles away from Marquinhos
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Fernandez hinted his time at Stamford Bridge may be nearing the endCredit: AFP
It was a result that evidently left a mark on Fernandez as evidenced by a comment he made to ESPN Argentina following the match.
Enz of the road?
When quizzed on where he would be playing next season, Fernandez said: "I don't know. There are eight games left and the FA Cup.
"There's the World Cup and then we'll see."
Fernandez's eyebrow-raising remark evidently caught Blues boss Liam Rosenior off-guard when he was asked about it in his post-match press conference.
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"I haven't seen that," Rosenior said.
"It's hard for me to speak on speculation after a game. I need to focus right now on the most important things, which is making sure we have the right result against Everton."
How much did Chelsea pay to sign Fernandez?
A summer departure for Fernandez would be a major blow for Chelsea given they forked out an eye-watering £106.8million to sign him from Benfica in January 2023.
The fee marked a then-British transfer record and was only beaten by Alexander Isak last summer when he joined Liverpool from Newcastle for £125m.
Given Fernandez cost Chelsea a whopping nine-figure sum and they won't want to make a loss, there are very few clubs across the globe who could foot the bill should he continue to angle for a move away.
Which clubs could be in the mix for Fernandez?
Yet there is one club in particular which talkSPORT's Ben Jacobs believes would nip to the front of the queue in the Fernandez sweepstakes.
Enzo Fernandez pulls his shirt up in frustration
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Liam Rosenior may have a fight on his hands to keep Chelsea's record signingCredit: Getty
“Enzo Fernandez is open to leaving Chelsea," Jacobs said on talkSPORT's Sports Bar on Tuesday.
"It's as simple as that. But are Chelsea open to selling Enzo Fernandez? Not at the moment, but there's a long way to go until the summer.
“The challenge is regardless of what Enzo Fernandez may or may not want, Chelsea are not going to sell Enzo Fernandez, speaking to sources, for a book loss, which means there's only a handful of clubs in the world that could afford Enzo Fernandez.
“Some are in Saudi, he doesn't want to go there. Some say PSG, I'm told that's wide of the mark. Real Madrid is the other club.
“My information very clearly from sources close to Enzo Fernandez is that if, and it is still an if, because there's been no talks or formal advancement, but should Real Madrid come forwards, that's the club of preference that Enzo Fernandez would like to join rather than going to France or Saudi Arabia.
“Regardless of what the player may want, or if he's hinting that he would like a move this summer, and from the player's point of view, he may think that's possible, but we must remember Chelsea hold all the cards.
Enzo Fernandez's stats during his time at Chelsea
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The Argentina international has produced a mix bag of displays throughout his Chelsea careerCredit: talkSPORT
“He's contracted until 2032. I'd be very surprised were Chelsea to engage or accept an offer if it was under a British transfer record.”
With Chelsea now out of the Champions League, Fernandez's focus will switch to ensuring the Blues secure a top four finish to secure a return to Europe's elite club competition next season.
Going into the final eight games of the league campaign, Rosenior's side sit 6th with 48 points, three fewer than 4th-placed Aston Villa.
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Chelsea also have a FA Cup quarter-final tie at home to look forward to on April 4 as they host League One outfit Port Vale.
The Blues will look to put their Parisian nightmare behind them on Saturday when they travel to Everton, with kick-off scheduled for 5:30pm.