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Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez has “reiterated” his “desire to leave” Stamford Bridge in meetings with club officials this week, according to journalist Simon Phillips.
Writing on his Substack, Phillips said those discussions led to negotiations being opened with Manchester City:
“Fernandez returned to training at Cobham yesterday as he is obliged to do so and as expected. But conversations have happened this week between the midfielder, his agents, and the club, and they reiterated that it is their desire to LEAVE Chelsea this window.”
“Meanwhile, City have opened initial negotiations with Chelsea around a fee for Fernandez. It will be tough negotiations, but City will look to do a favourable structure for them IF they are to pay the full fee wanted by Chelsea.”
“If Fernandez changes his stance and says he is happy to stay at Chelsea for one more season, then Chelsea will keep the player. But as of right now, the situation is the opposite of that, and Fernandez is in talks with City.”
Chelsea won’t let the player leave on the cheap
The Blues have not lowered their asking price for Fernandez at any point this summer. They have requested £120m from interested teams.
So far, it is believed that no club has even placed a formal bid for the Argentinian international, but Phillips suggests that City may well come close with an offer that includes performance-related add-ons.
Relations between the two teams are not great following the controversy surrounding Enzo Maresca’s departure from Chelsea and his appointment at the Etihad. That is likely to harden the London club’s stance when holding out for their valuation.
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The club want Fernandez’s future resolved very soon
While City have begun talks to sign Fernandez, it is unlikely that negotiations will continue until 11 pm on September 1st when the transfer window shuts.
Chelsea have reportedly made it clear to potential suitors that they want to make a sale before the end of THIS WEEK. It remains to be seen how realistic that timescale actually is.