Manchester City have not abandoned their interest in Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez, despite the expiry of the £120m deadline set by the London club for negotiations over his departure from Stamford Bridge.
According to Sport, Chelsea’s previous framework for discussing a transfer is no longer available. The deadline for receiving an offer worth £120m passed on Friday without Manchester City submitting the required figure.
Chelsea have since withdrawn the conditions they had set for allowing Fernandez to leave and now expect the Argentina international to remain at Stamford Bridge for the 2026-27 season.
Fernandez returned to action on Saturday after his post-World Cup holiday, making his first appearance under coach Xabi Alonso in Chelsea’s victory over Real Sociedad.
However, Manchester City’s interest has not ended, according to The Telegraph and transfer expert Fabrizio Romano. The situation has instead entered a less certain phase, with the Premier League club potentially preparing to reopen negotiations on entirely new terms in the coming days.
The outcome is closely connected to Rodri’s expected move to Barcelona. The Catalan club have already submitted a third offer to Manchester City for the Spain international midfielder after their first two proposals were rejected.
Barcelona’s latest bid increases the guaranteed transfer fee to €70m. Their opening approach was worth about €45m before being raised to almost €65m.
There is optimism at Barcelona that the agreement could be completed during the current weekend. Manchester also believes the negotiations will eventually produce a deal.
Rodri’s sale would give Manchester City greater room under financial fair play rules, potentially enabling them to complete the signing of his replacement. Fernandez remains the preferred option at the Etihad Stadium, and Chelsea’s lapsed deadline does not necessarily bring the transfer saga to an end.
Maresca, Manchester City’s new manager and Fernandez’s former coach at Chelsea, said on Friday that his club would not become involved in the deadline game set by Chelsea.
Chelsea are seeking to make clear that they retain control over Fernandez’s future. The midfielder’s contract with the club runs until 2032.
Manchester City will now wait for the final outcome of Rodri’s proposed transfer before deciding how to proceed with Fernandez. Romano said in his latest update on the transfer market that City officials had remained in regular contact with the player’s representatives in recent days.
The broad picture has therefore remained unchanged, although the details have shifted. Manchester City still want Fernandez, but they are no longer dealing with the same Chelsea that, on Friday, appeared to offer a clearly defined route for the midfielder to leave under specific terms, almost like a release clause.
The next step will be for Manchester City to decide how much they are prepared to pay to reopen discussions with Chelsea and complete a move for the Argentina midfielder.
