Manchester City are likely to miss Chelsea’s Friday deadline to submit an offer for Enzo, according to ESPN, with the London club refusing to consider bids that arrive after 17:00 BST.
Chelsea have set their valuation of the Argentina international at £120m ($161.8m), and interested clubs have been told they must meet that figure before the deadline expires. ESPN sources say Chelsea will not assess or consider any offers received after 5pm UK time.
Manchester City are among the clubs understood to be interested in Enzo, but ESPN reports that the Premier League champions are unlikely to meet Chelsea’s deadline on Friday.
The situation was raised during Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca’s news conference, although he declined to discuss the possibility of another club making an approach for the midfielder.
When asked about Enzo, Maresca said: “I don’t think it’s appropriate to talk about other clubs’ players. At the same time, I don’t think it’s appropriate for other clubs to talk about our players. So I won’t do that.”
Maresca was also asked whether Chelsea expected to complete any transfer business during the day. He indicated that no activity was planned for Friday.
When asked if there would be any transfer activity today, he said: “Not today, to be honest. I don’t think we’ll do anything today.”
Chelsea’s position, as reported by ESPN, is that their valuation must be met by the specified time if any interested club wants its offer to be considered. Any proposal submitted after the deadline will not be considered by the club, regardless of which team makes the approach.
That leaves Manchester City facing a limited window if they decide to pursue Enzo on Friday. Although City are listed among the interested clubs, ESPN says they are likely to miss the deadline set by Chelsea.
The reported valuation of £120m has also been given as $161.8m. Chelsea have made clear that this is the figure required from clubs wishing to make an offer for the Argentina international.
Maresca’s comments came as Chelsea continued to face questions about the possibility of movement involving Enzo. The manager did not confirm whether an offer had been made, nor did he provide any further details about the interest from Manchester City.
The report does not state that a transfer has been agreed or that Manchester City have withdrawn their interest. It says only that City are likely to miss Chelsea’s Friday deadline, while Chelsea’s policy is not to consider bids submitted once the 5pm UK cut-off has passed.
AF’s PC site is now live! Browse full news, comments, match details and stats on your computer. Visit:www.allfootballapp.com
