Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez, Man City badge
Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez, Man City badge
Chelsea have officially confirmed the arrival of Pep Chavarria, while Fabrizio Romano has revealed what’s really happening regarding Enzo Fernandez and a possible transfer to Manchester City.
With Xabi Alonso at the helm, there’s always the possibility of Chelsea lining up in a back five with wing-backs. Marco Palestra has been signed for that very purpose on the right side, and with Marc Cucurella sold to Real Madrid, the Blues needs reinforcements on the left.
Rayo Vallecano’s Pep Chavarria, 28, was identified as an attack-minded option to play at left wing-back if and when required.
A club-to-club agreement worth €19m plus €2m in add-ons was struck, while a contract running until 2031 was finalised.
And on Wednesday morning, Chelsea officially confirmed Chavarria is a new Blues player via a statement on their website.
The statement began: ‘Chelsea is delighted to announce the signing of Pep Chavarria from La Liga side Rayo Vallecano.
‘The Spaniard has signed a contract at Stamford Bridge until 2031 and will begin working with his new team-mates at Cobham as we prepare for the 2026/27 campaign.’
Enzo Fernandez to Man City truths revealed
One of the biggest talking points at Stamford Bridge right now centres on Enzo Fernandez’s future, and more precisely, whether he has one in west London.
Chelsea are reportedly willing to sell the Argentine if their sky high asking price of £120m is met, though they won’t push a player of his calibre out.
A reunion with Enzo Maresca at Man City has been mooted, with City recently making contact with the player’s agent, Javier Pastore.
Man City are ramping up a deal to sign Ayyoub Bouaddi from Lille, though with Rodri bound for Barcelona, Fabrizio Romano has confirmed they want one more big name.
According to Ben Jacobs, Chelsea could lower their demands for Fernandez in the gap between the new season beginning and the summer window closing.
He wrote on X: ‘No guarantee Chelsea’s £120m price for Enzo Fernandez holds beyond the start of the season.
‘#CFC are prepared to sell, but timing also important as Chelsea want to settle their first team squad by their opening game with Fulham on 24 August.’
But according to Romano, there is no scope for Chelsea to reduce their asking price. What’s more, he insisted Chelsea are expected to make life difficult for City given the bad blood between the two clubs stemming from Maresca’s departure from Stamford Bridge at the beginning of the year, and subsequent arrival at the Etihad.
“Over the recent days, some contacts took place between the agent of Enzo Fernandez, Javier Pastore, and Manchester City,” Romano explained on his YouTube channel
“In this context, Manchester City’s message was about the interest they have at the club in Enzo Fernandez, especially Enzo Maresca.
“Enzo Maresca is a big fan of Enzo Fernandez. Maresca had a great relationship with Fernandez at Chelsea.
“Maresca, in the internal discussions at Manchester City while planning for the summer transfer window, always indicated Enzo Fernandez as a potential target, even before this Rodri storm after the World Cup.”
He continued: “What can happen here? Chelsea feel very relaxed on Enzo Fernandez. Why? Because for Chelsea it’s a very clear situation. They’re more than happy to keep Enzo Fernandez at the club.
“Chelsea believe that the problems were in the players’ camp, not on the player’s direct side. And so Chelsea believe that Enzo can still stay at Chelsea, continue at the club and be an important player for Xabi Alonso. So this is Chelsea’s feeling.
“For Chelsea it’s been clear. Chelsea want £120m. Manchester City, on their side, are not expected to spend this money. So Man City hope there could be room for negotiation for Enzo Fernandez.
“This is the situation around Enzo. It can depend on the price. If Chelsea can reduce the price in the next days, for Manchester City it could be a possibility.
“If the price remains £120m, the deal for Enzo Fernandez to Man City can still be considered complicated. So it really depends on the numbers, on the financials of this deal.
“Don’t forget in this saga also how tense the situation was between Chelsea, Man City and Maresca about the appointment of the manager at Manchester City. Don’t underestimate this because Chelsea want to be happy in terms of the transfer fee if this deal has to happen.
“For Chelsea, a case of ‘take it or leave it’ in a few days because Chelsea don’t want to negotiate close to the end of the window.”
In a follow-up video, also on YouTube, Romano declared Chelsea are “more than happy” to retain Fernandez.
He also stated the Blues believe Fernandez can take his game to new heights and perform “very well” under Alonso.
Romano then stressed Enzo and his camp should “forget about” a late-window move, with Chelsea having no interest in letting this saga drag on beyond this week.
Finally, Romano concluded by noting the price (£120m as a fixed fee and not aided by add-ons) will not change, and it’s now a case of “take it or leave it” for Man City.
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PSG star Bradley Barcola next to the Liverpool badge
PSG star Bradley Barcola next to the Liverpool badge