Manchester City gain Enzo Fernandez after agreeing a joint-British record £125m fee, a move that hands manager Enzo Maresca a trusted midfield presence and leaves Chelsea scrambling for short-term reinforcements.
The 25-year-old Argentina international will undergo a medical after Chelsea granted permission for the switch to be completed. The fee of £125m equals the highest sum ever paid for a transfer in Britain and matches the amount Liverpool paid for Alexander Isak last summer. Fernandez becomes the first player in football history to move for more than £100m twice, having joined Chelsea from Benfica for £107m in 2023.
City have already broken their club transfer record twice this summer, following the £116m signing of Elliot Anderson in July. Their window spending now reaches a Premier League-high of £458 million, surpassing Liverpool’s previous single-window total of £415 million, while the club have generated about £300 million from player sales.
Sources close to the deal say City overcame a prolonged 79-day transfer saga to secure their target, with Maresca’s familiarity with Fernandez a decisive factor. Maresca pushed for the midfielder after departures and absences left a gap in the centre of the park. City lost several experienced figures this summer, and the new arrival is intended to add leadership and big-game know-how after Fernandez helped Argentina win the 2022 World Cup and reach a second successive final.
Chelsea will move quickly to replace the player. The club had set a deadline of 17:00 BST on August 14 for offers worth at least £120m to resolve his future before the season, and now are exploring targets including Roma’s Manu Kone and Monaco’s Lamine Camara, alongside potential Premier League options. Fernandez’s exit follows a summer of unrest at Stamford Bridge: he was booed by supporters on more than one occasion and has at times been left out of squads. In an open letter he wrote, "I want you to know that these have not been easy days for me." On joining City he told the club website, "I could not be happier to be here, and I am ready for the challenge of helping City continue winning trophies."
The transfer deadline still requires clubs to submit paperwork before 11 pm, with an additional two-hour deal sheet window available to conclude late business. For City, Fernandez’s arrival increases expectations that Maresca can lift the team in the Premier League and Champions League. For Chelsea, a busy final phase of the window now hinges on finding midfield reinforcements capable of filling the void left by a player who arrived in England in a record move only three years ago.
