The £10m compromise Chelsea made in talks with Man City for Enzo Fernandez
With less than three hours to go in the 2026 summer window, it looks as if Chelsea are going to finally cash in on Enzo Fernandez and sell the midfielder to Manchester City.
It all started back in March. The international break arrived, and Enzo Fernandez made it clear he wanted to join Real Madrid, without saying those words. His flirting in front of the camera earned him a ban.
The Enzo Fernandez saga is over! What do you make of this deal?
A big fee, but not much time to get something done ourselves…
The summer window arrived, and hype around a move to Real Madrid continued to grow, until Madrid released a statement confirming that they would not be pursuing Fernandez. Step forward, Man City.
Enzo Maresca has pushed for a reunion, but Chelsea would not budge from their £120m asking price. A deadline was set by Chelsea; City missed it – and going into deadline day, Chelsea requested £135m.
The £10m compromise that Chelsea made in the Fernandez deal
That is according to David Ornstein, who broke the news on Tuesday afternoon that the World Cup winner would finally be joining City. He confirmed that the two clubs had come to a deal on £125m.
Ornstein then reported in a follow-up tweet that Chelsea had asked for £135m, £15m more than their original asking price. However, Chelsea finally relented and accepted City’s offer of £125m for Enzo.
“Chelsea requested fee would be guaranteed only & on Monday specified £135m. City conveyed intention to walk away from deal before deadline day compromise reached with Chelsea at £125m.”
Chelsea make the right decision; Gary Neville got it wrong
Imagine a scenario where Fernandez remained at Stamford Bridge? Gary Neville thinks the players would have accepted the Argentine in the dressing room and possibly so, but the fans simply wouldn’t have.
DEADLINE DAY: Who do you want Chelsea to sign before the 11pm deadline?
Chelsea are in the market for a midfielder…
Fernandez has constantly disrespected Chelsea in the last few months. Whatever is said about Rosenior, his decision to ban Fernandez for two games was done purely out of respect for the club and the fans.
Seeing Fernandez in a Chelsea shirt again, after refusing to play against Luton and missing the Brighton clash, would not have gone down well. Even without a replacement, selling Fernandez is the right call.
Receive a digest of our best Chelsea content each week direct to your mailbox
