Chelsea are having trouble breaking a months-long deadlock with Enzo Fernandez over new contract terms, which makes it more unclear if the Argentine’s future remains at Stamford Bridge. Fabrizio Romano said on his YouTube channel that the Blues and their World Cup-winning midfielder have been unable to agree on salary terms since last December.
The 25-year-old is currently under contract with Chelsea until 2032. He joined the team from Benfica in January 2023 for a then-British record fee of €121 million. Fernandez is said to be pushing for better terms, even though he is one of the club’s highest-paid players, making £180,000 a week. The two sides have been at odds over the lack of agreement in recent months. Romano said:
“Chelsea and Enzo have not been able to agree on the numbers of the new contract salary since last December,” Romano revealed. “They will talk again but if nothing can be agreed then, we will obviously have to see in the summer what could happen.”
Enzo Fernandez’s Chelsea Future Hangs in the Balance Ahead of Crucial Summer Window
The contract stalemate comes at a bad time for both the player and the club. Chelsea are still reeling from their humiliating 8-2 aggregate loss to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League. Fernandez himself has been in the news for off-field drama. He was banned from two domestic matches for making controversial comments about his future during the recent international break.
The Argentine is likely to be back in Liam Rosenior’s squad next weekend against Manchester United. He has already apologised to his manager, teammates, and the club’s top brass. But rumours are likely not going to slow down, due to Fernandez’s strong ties to Real Madrid. Romano has said before that Fernandez would be “quite interested” in moving to the Spanish capital if Los Blancos made their interest official.
Chelsea, on the other hand, are still in charge of the situation and still see Fernandez as an important leader in their project. The Blues are likely to miss out on qualifying for the Champions League, though, which makes the financial stakes of this standoff higher every week. More talks are planned before the end of the season, but if there is no progress, Stamford Bridge may have to make some big decisions this summer.