Chelsea and Enzo Fernandez are monitoring the situation closely to determine whether Manchester City will submit a formal bid for the midfielder ahead of next month’s transfer window closure.
Sources indicate that City maintain an interest in the Argentina international, however the Premier League runners-up failed to meet an informal deadline set by Chelsea last week. The Blues had specified a 5pm cut-off on the previous Friday for their £120million valuation. City did not make an approach and the Blues subsequently withdrew their asking price.
Any future bid to secure Fernandez from Stamford Bridge would now need to exceed the original figure significantly. Information from the Etihad Stadium suggests City are unwilling to match the initial £120m valuation, let alone surpass it. Either way, City would need to act swiftly if they hoped to register Fernandez in time for their Premier League fixture against Bournemouth this weekend.
Maresca’s side host the Cherries, who also appointed new management when Marco Rose succeeded Andoni Iraola, at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday afternoon with a 2pm kick-off. Under Premier League Rule U.23, players must be registered by midday on the final working day prior to the relevant match.
In City’s case, this means registration must be completed by noon on Friday given their Sunday fixture. At present, this appears highly improbable because even in an hypothetical scenario where City agreed terms for Fernandez, completing all necessary documentation before Friday’s midday deadline would be extraordinarily difficult.
Alonso is keen to minimise any unwanted distractions ahead of his first Premier League match as manager, a Monday evening fixture against Fulham. However, his scheduled Thursday afternoon press conference at 1:30pm is expected to feature significant questions about Fernandez’s situation and the club’s transfer plans for the remainder of the summer.
Chelsea insiders have remained composed throughout the intense transfer speculation and anticipate Fernandez will remain a Chelsea player once the current transfer window concludes. Whether City have any response to this remains to be seen. What seems increasingly likely is that further developments are in store.