Xabi Alonso
Xabi Alonso during Chelsea's win over AC Milan(Image: Andri Munazir/NurPhoto)
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At 5pm on Friday, there will be exactly 243 hours before Chelsea's Premier League season gets underway. It will be just over 10 days before Xabi Alonso's Blues tenure begins at Craven Cottage.
The significance of 5pm on Friday, August 14? Chelsea's unofficial deadline to sign Enzo Fernandez. In a sense, it is like when a supermarket ends their half-price sale on a product.
Chelsea's £120million valuation of Fernandez is not quite a half-price tag, rather the Blues will be taking the Argentine off the shelf post-Friday evening. Stamford Bridge chiefs want Alonso to have a full, uninterrupted week of preparation with his squad before the real business starts just up the road against Fulham.
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There is an expectation when you talk to club sources that Fernandez will remain a Chelsea player beyond this week's unofficial deadline and next month's official cut-off point despite Manchester City considering making a move for the 25-year-old midfielder. Chelsea will sell if their price is met in the next 24 hours, if not then Alonso will happily work with the Argentina international, who returned to first-team training at Cobham earlier in the week.
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If a deal for £120m is done, then that will bring Chelsea's player sales total to just over £318m. That is if you include add-ons and the obligation to buy inserted into Alejandro Garnacho's season-long loan deal at Aston Villa. Sources close to the situation say the £42.5m buy obligation should be triggered, with the conditions said to be straightforward.
Elsewhere, Chelsea have sold Andrey Santos, Marc Cucurella, Trevoh Chalobah and Tyrique George thus far this summer.
Santos joined Manchester United for £50m, Cucurella left for Real Madrid for £51.7m, Chalobah to Como for a £30m package and George re-joined Everton in a £24m deal. Add the £42.5m the Blues should receive for Garnacho on top of that and the west Londoners would have generated £198.2m.
If Fernandez is sold for the aforementioned price tag, Chelsea are looking at a whopping £318.2m in player sales. If not, there are still several other players who could leave before the end of the summer transfer window.
Enzo Fernandez
Manchester City want to sign Enzo Fernandez from Chelsea(Image: Johnny Fidelin/Icon Sport)
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Tosin Adarabioyo has interest from Benfica and several Premier League clubs, sources say, with the defender available for the right price this summer. Although, at the time of writing, said price has not been disclosed. His colleague Benoit Badiashile is also likely to depart Stamford Bridge before September 1, with Napoli the current front-runners for the Frenchman's signature.
Axel Disasi is another one whose future looks to be away from SW6. The former AS Monaco defender has several potential suitors from England and overseas after impressing on loan at West Ham United earlier in the year.
Man City hold an interest in Malo Gusto but Chelsea's £75m valuation of the 23-year-old France international has seen their Premier League rivals take a step back. Pedro Neto is also available this summer but the 26-year-old winger will not be cheap, while Liam Delap is valued at £50m+ in the final two-and-a-half weeks of the summer window.
Nicolas Jackson's future remains uncertain. Chelsea will entertain offers in the region of £65m for the Senegal international with the club looking to trim down the centre-forward department following the arrivals of Danny Welbeck and Emmanuel Emegha.
Speaking of Emegha, though, his role is yet to be confirmed either. There is a possibility the Dutchman leaves on loan in the next couple of weeks.