As if the 8-2 aggregate defeat was not painful enough for Chelsea supporters on Tuesday night, Enzo Fernandez decided to rub salt into the wounds with his post-match comments.
Speaking after the humbling aggregate scoreline, Fernandez told Argentine media that he would be open to a summer exit: “I don’t know, there are 8 games left and the FA Cup. There’s the World Cup, we’ll see”.
Not what Chelsea fans of Liam Rosenior wanted to hear from the man who wore the captain’s armband on Tuesday night. Indeed, Rosenior was asked about the comments and immediately played things down.
DISCUSS: Enzo Fernandez to Manchester City 😱
Enzo Fernandez to Manchester City rumour
Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images
But Fernandez is generating interest, even if he has a contract at Chelsea until the summer of 2032. It is reported that PSG, Real Madrid, Man City, and two Saudi clubs have already been linked with the player.
The one club that would tempt Fernandez to leave Chelsea
Fernandez is cutting a frustrated figure on the pitch at the moment, seen regularly berating his Chelsea teammates. Clearly, this player has ambitions higher than what Chelsea are offering him at the moment.
Enzo Fernandez of Chelsea
Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images
Craig Burley described Fernandez as a “cry baby,” but ultimately, it is a sign of elite frustration from a player who should be going further in the Champions League than the last 16. He is a World Cup winner.
Speaking on TalkSPORT on Wednesday, transfer expert Alex Crook named the side that would tempt Fernandez to leave Chelsea if they became interested. He says Fernandez would love to join Real Madrid.
“The impression I get with Enzo Fernandez is that if Real Madrid are interested, then he would be interested in making that move,” Crook said, after Jim White asked him about Fernandez’s comments.
“There’s no suggestion that they are going to pay the money that Chelsea would want for him. Could this be a play to get himself a pay rise? I think he is certainly one player that Chelsea need to keep,” he added.
In response to Crook, Danny Murphy also reacted to Fernandez’s comments on TalkSPORT. He says he has heard of PSG’s interest and believes Fernandez sounded like a player who knew clubs wanted to sign him.
It’s time to bin the five-year plan, Todd 😡
Joe Cole is absolutely right.
“I heard PSG are interested as well. It doesn’t sound like, for a player to say something as controversial as that, it means he has already got an idea of somebody who might want to sign him,” Murphy said.
Ultimately, Fernandez only leaves Chelsea if a club can match the £100m-plus fee spent to sign him from Benfica. The Blues are under no pressure to sell, given his contract situation, ahead of the summer.
But if Real Madrid are willing to part with a nine-figure fee to land the Argentina midfielder this summer, then Chelsea may be forced to accept a sale, with Fernandez said to be keen to move to Real Madrid.
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